Family Time
by Wolf of the Light
Summary: Dawn, Paul, and their daughter Arisa go through the holidays of the year: New Years, Valentine's Day, Easter, Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Ikarishipping/Contestshipping/OldRivalshipping/Pokeshipping. On hold.
1. Christmas

"Mommy, Mommy! Daddy, make Mommy wake up!"

Dawn covered her ears, trying to block out the voice of her daughter. She could hear her husband's chuckle as he leaned over her, brushing her hair out of her face. Dawn opened one eye, staring up at him. He smiled slightly down at her.

"Come on, Dawn. Wake up," he murmured in her ear.

Dawn groaned, rolling onto her side and sitting up, rubbing her head tiredly. But she was knocked back against the pillows when her daughter tackled her. "Ack! Risa, how many times have we told you not to do that?"

Arisa Shinji grinned up at her mother. "But Mommy, Mommy! Santa came last night, come look under the Christmas tree!" At eight years old, Arisa was estatic around Christmast time. From the time she could walk, she had scrambled out of her crib every Christmas morning, managing to climb into Dawn and Paul's bed each year. "Come on! You've got to come and see!"

Paul laughed quietly. "Risa, maybe you should wait until Mommy is really awake. How about we get some hot chocolate while we wait?"

"Yay! Hot chocolate, my morning coffee!" Arisa slid off the bed, racing out the door toward the kitchen. They heard the sound of the refrigerator opening as she pulled the milk out, and the kitchen stool being tugged across the tiling. Dawn and Paul chuckled. Arisa was such an energetic child.

"So," Paul began, pushing Dawn's hair out of her face again. "Do you want to get up now, or have a few more minutes alone?" He leaned down and kissed her softly. She reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him close. But the moment was ruined when there was splashing sounds coming from the kitchen, followed by a shout. They listened for a moment as Arisa scrambled around the kitchen, probably trying to clean up the mess she had made. "I think that answers my question," he chuckled.

Dawn smiled at him, caressing his cheek before sitting up, stretching her arms above her head. Kicking the covers off, she set her feet on the cold carpet and flexed her toes. She headed for the kitchen with Paul not too far behind her, his hand in hers. When they saw the mess on the floor, they stopped dead in their tracks.

Arisa had spilled milk all over the floor and herself. She looked like a miserable doll with her sodden clothes and wet hair. Her indigo hair had seemed to turn black in places where the milk had touched, clumping it together.

When Arisa heard her parents walk in she looked up, tears in her eyes as she apologized profusely for the mess. "Mommy, Daddy, I'm sorry, I dropped the milk, and it just went everywhere, I couldn't stop it -" She broke off as a sob choked her words.

Dawn sighed, smiling sadly, and walked over to her daughter on the floor. She pushed Arisa's hair out of her little face with her thumbs, holding her cheeks in her hands. "Arisa, don't worry baby girl, we'll clean this up, then Daddy can make us our hot chocolate. How does that sound?"

Arisa sniffed. "Okay …" Man, was she adorable, even when she was crying. She looked so cute, Dawn leaned over and hugged her daughter tightly, saying, "Ohhhh, my gosh, I love you sooo much!" Arisa was used to these outbursts of affection. It didn't even faze her anymore.

"Let the poor child go, Dawn," Paul chuckled. "We have a mess to clean up."

"Ohh, all right." She reluctantly released the child and stood back up. Surveying the milk on the floor and on her daughter, she grabbed the mop from the pantry. She ushered Paul and Arisa out of the kitchen and set to work mopping up all the milk. "You go get changed Risa, I'll be out in a few."

Arisa nodded and held her arms up to her father. Smiling and shaking his head, he reached down, picking the child off the floor. He carried her to her room and helped her with her wet clothes, leaving the room when she was taking them off, as ordered by the eight year old. She apparently was getting old enough to where she was able to get dressed on her own. But none the less, she called him back when she couldn't pull her shirt over her head. There were actually several problems - a button became caught in her hair, and when he'd helped untangle it, she'd pulled the shirt on backwards - the same thing any eight year old goes through when getting dressed.

When she was finally finished changing, she demanded a piggy back from Paul, not giving up until he kneeled in front of her, allowing her to jump onto his back. Arisa loved her father, no question about that, but he spoiled her a little more than Dawn did.

Heading toward the kitchen, Arisa pulled on Paul's hair, treating his bangs as reins, going, "Whoa, horsey! Down boy."

Dawn laughed, smiling. "Wow, Paul. Sounds like last night." She winked at him, kidding around. His face flushed anyway, shooting her an embarrassed look. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding," she laughed. She'd cleaned up the floor and was rubbing the counter down with a dish rab, an easy smile on her face as she teased her husband.

"Yeah, well. I don't think that's something Risa should hear yet." He raised an eyebrow at Dawn quizically. She laughed in return.

"Mommy, Mommy! Can I have my coffee now?" Arisa hopped from Paul's back, landing with a soft thump onto the kitchen floor.

Dawn frowned. "But I thought it was hot chocolate you wanted."

Arisa smiled at her mother. "Hot chocolate is my morning coffee, remember?"

"Ah, yes. I remember you saying that earlier after you had pounced on the two of us in bed."

Dawn looked at Paul. "What do you mean, us? She jumped onto me while I was still half-asleep!"

Paul chuckled. "I know, I was just saying."

She just rolled her eyes at him and returned to cleaning the counter. "Just go wait in the living room, Risa. We'll be out in a minute."

Arisa left without another word, racing to the living room, probably to try and see if she could figure out what she'd gotten that was under the Christmas tree. Alone again, Paul walked over to his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. "How long do you think we have this time?" he murmured in her ear.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

Dawn chuckled. "Apparantly not long."

"Mm, she can wait for a few minutes." He kissed a trail over her shoulder and up her neck to her cheek, nuzzling her ear. This made Dawn giggle and reach over her shoulder, mussing his hair. His shook his head, whipping his hair enough to make her pull away laughing. "Hey, don't mess with my hair, remember?"

Dawn smiled. "You mean like this?" she asked, reaching forward and grabbing his hair. She pulled him toward her, bringing him face to face, enough to where their noses were almost touching. "I thought you liked it when I pulled your hair."

He growled, untangling her fingers from his tresses and holding her arms at her side. "I do, but not when our child can hear us in the next room."

"Dear, her room is almost next to ours."

"It's across the hall," he snorted. "Now, come here."

He pulled her forward by her wrists, planting his mouth on hers. He could feel her smiling against his lips, and he pulled away slightly, staring at her inquisitively. She just responded by sticking her tongue out at him playfully. His answer was to lean forward and bite her tongue lightly. Her eyes widened in surprise. She should have known by now that he didn't play fair when it came to affection of any sort.

"Pwaul. Let my pongue go."

He grinned at her. "Nuh-uh."

She glared at him. "Don't make me boo something bwastic, Pwaul."

Paul laughed, he had to. She sounded so rediculous.

"All whight, you asked for it."

She placed her hads on either side of face, pulling him toward her until her tongue was in his mouth, trying to make his teeth release her. Oh, he released her all right, but he didn't let her escape. In a moment, he had a hand in her hair, holding her in place, the other going around her waist, drawing her closer to him. She reacted like he knew she would: wrapping her arms around his neck and standing up on her toes so it would be easier for her.

This time, it seemed that Arisa was too absorbed in the presents she could distinguish in the piles to interrupt her parents. So they took advantage of the time, Dawn hopping onto the now-dry counter, and Paul placing his hands on either side of her, leaning in for another kiss. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Dawn managed to talk through her heavy breathing, saying, "Maybe we should get that hot chocolate ready before Risa decides to investigate why we're taking so long."

Paul chuckled. "Maybe." He kissed her shoulder, his lips brushing bare skin. "But you never know, she's too wrapped up in those presents of heers out there under the tree."

They heard the sudden sound of little feet running across the floor, so Paul help Dawn off the counter and she fixed her night shirt. The flushes on their faces had barely faded back to normal before Arisa came skidding into the kitchen, almost colliding with her mother.

"Mommy, Mommy! Come here, you have to see this!" she cried, tugging at Dawn's hand. With one last look over her shoulder, Dawn followed the eight year old in the living room, where she pulled her to the floor in front of the mound of gifts that were a majority for the child. But after Arisa had dug through the wrapped boxes for a moment, she pulled one out about as big as her mother's hand, which was where she placed it. "It says it's from Santa, Mommy!"

Dawn looked at it for a moment, then shot a skeptical look over her shoulder at her husband, who was standing in the doorway, grinning. Rolling her eyes, she looked back down at the gift in hand, studying the wrapping. It was blue with white snowflakes scattered across the paper. Blue was her favorite color.

Slowly, she unwrapped it. Beneath the paper was a box, and she pulled the lid off. When she saw what was inside the box she gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth as tears sprang in her eyes.

"Mommy? Mommy, what's wrong?"

Dawn looked up at her child who sat in front of her, her innocent blue eyes staring up at her worriedly. Finally realizing she was crying, Dawn wiped the tears away from her eyes, then smiled at Arisa. "Nothing, baby. I'm just happy with what Santa gave me." _I'm sure he had some help along the way_, she thought.

Arisa smiled again, glad that her mother wasn't upset. "What is it?"

Dawn leaned the box toward Arisa, and the girl's eyes widened as she looked at it. "It's pretty, Mommy."

Her mother smiled, saying, "Why yes, it is, isn't it? Here, Paul. Why don't you make yourself useful and help me put this on?" She smirked at her husband.

Paul rolled his eyes at his wife and pushed away from the doorway, coming over to kneel beside her on the floor. She held her hair up as he clasped the chain around her neck. Sitting back, they all looked at it.

It was an angel made of polished silver about the size of Dawn's thumb, the words _My Little Angel_ carved on the back. The face of the angel was shaped as Arisa's, almost a sort of mirror image of the little girl. Blinking more tears away, Dawn hugged Paul, whispering, "Thank you," in his ear.

He smiled, saying back, "That's not all of it."

She pulled away, rubbing the fresh tears away with the back of her hand. "Right. Arisa honey, why don't you start opening your presents while I go and make that hot chocolate I promised you earlier?" Arisa nodded eagerly, already starting to tear open one of her many presents beneath the tree. "Paul, make sure she doesn't hurt herself."

Paul scoffed. "She's not like you, Dawn. She's more careful, like me." This earned him a hair tug as Dawn walked by. He glared after her as she just about skipped toward the kitchen, winking at him over her shoulder.

Supervising Arisa as she tore at the wrappings, Paul sat back against the side of the couch. He stretched his legs out across the floor, taking a deep breath, then letting it out. This was going to take a while.


	2. New Years

"Here in the middle of the city, we're waiting for the ball to drop for the New Year's countdown."

Dawn and Arisa sat on the couch as they watched the newslady on the TV announce the beginning of the dropping of the New Year's ball. They were both excited for the new year and the things it would bring with it.

"Paul! Hurry or else you'll miss it!" Dawn called in the direction of the kitchen.

"Yeah, Daddy! Hurry up or you'll miss it!" Arisa echoed from where she sat next to her mother.

They could hear the clank of mugs as Paul made his way to the living room. "Hush, both of you. Or you won't get the hot chocolate you wanted." He set the mugs on the coffee table, and Arisa just about pounced on hers, taking a too-quick sip of it, burning her tongue.

"Ow! Daddy, it's still hot!" she cried, sticking her tongue out of her mouth, flapping her hands in front of her face in hopes of cooling her burned tongue while her parents laughed at her eagerness.

"Of course it's going to be hot, Risa," said her mother, taking a small sip from her mug, held in both hands. "He did just make it."

Arisa pouted where she sat on the floor, her tongue still hanging out of her mouth. She was eager for more than the hot chocolate, she couldn't wait for the end of this year. She'd had a streak of bad luck for the past few weeks - her hair catching gum in it to where her mother had to cut off four inches of her shoulder-length indigo hair, she'd caught part of the kitchen on fire and Paul had had to call in for a new stove - things that just ruined her joyful spirit. Hoping for a new streak, Arisa couldn't wait.

"It's starting!" Dawn cried.

Glancing up at the TV, Arisa saw as lights flashed among the crowd gathered in the square shown on screen, people's faces looking up as the New Year's ball began its decent toward the ground. Scrambling to her feet, Arisa raced from the room and down the hall, ignoring her mother and father calling her name. She ran to her room and opened the door without missing a step as she hurtled for her playroom on the other side of the room. Looking about the shelves, she found what she was looking for, grabbed it, and carried it back to the living room at top speed.

As she passed through the living room doorway, she saw the ball had only three seconds to go. Counting down in her head, she pulled out what she'd been carrying and aimed it at her parents: it was a confetti popper.

"Risa, what are you doing?" asked Paul, staring at his daughter strangley.

When the counter reached zero, she cried, "Happy New Year, Mommy and Daddy!" She pulled the string of the popper, and confetti flew all over her parents and the couch. They cried out in surprise, and once they blinked the confetti away, they stared at their daughter, who, standing there with a grin on her face, pulled another one out.

"Risa, don't you pull that string."

Arisa wrapped her finger around the string at the base of the popper, just itching to pull it.

"Arisa, don't you dare. You listen to your father," Dawn warned. She was steadily starting to stand, slowly, trying not to set off Arisa. They were only kidding with her, but they didn't want her to know that. Dawn had her hand on the back of the couch and was steadily moving her feet toward the side of the couch.

The girl edged her foot behind her toward the hallway, then, when she saw her chance, she pulled the string, blinding Dawn for a moment as she jumped toward her daughter over the back of the couch. Arisa took off down the hallway, bolting for her room. She laughed the entire time and made the mistake of looking over her shoulder, only to see Dawn at her heels. Literally.

Dawn was bigger than her daughter, but she was still a little clumsy. So when she reached out to grab her daughter's shirt, she managed to get a hold on the fabric, but she tripped over her own feet. She dragged her daughter to the floor with her, but she pulled Arisa into her arms so she would hit the floor first.

"Now, do you see why you should listen to us sometimes?"

Arisa looked up at her mother, nodded. Mischief still gleamed in her eyes. Dawn ignored it though, getting to her feet with Arisa still held in her carried the eight year old back through the hallway to Paul, who, in the mayhem, had taken the time to retreive sparklers from the kitchen cupboards, hidden from Arisa until now.

"Sparklers!" Arisa cried, wiggling in her mother's arms.

"Oh no you don't," Paul said. "Not until we get outside. You're getting nowhere near these things." He stuck the box of sparklers into his back pocket, then went to grab a bucket from under the guest bathroom sink. Passing Dawn and Arisa in the hallway, he kissed his wife on the cheek and ruffled his daughter's hair.

"All right you. Outside we go." Dawn set Arisa on her feet, keeping a hold on her hand and tugging her toward the front door.

"Mommy, what about the matches?" Arisa asked.

"Daddy can get those too, dear. I'm not letting you anywhere near those," Dawn laughed. She looked over her shoulder as she called, "Paul? Can you get the matches, lighter, whatever we're using please?"

"Sure," he replied from the bathroom at the end of the hall.

"Thank you, baby." Dawn smiled down at her daughter. "Done."

Arisa laughter at her mother's simpleness at getting something done.

When Dawn opened the front door, they stared out onto the dark front porch, the moon casting shadows around the banners. Arisa ran onto the porch with no fear, while Dawn trailed slowly behind her. Ever since she was a child, she'd never like the dark, no matter how old she became over the years.

"Still scared of the dark?" someone whispered in her ear.

She jumped and spun around, glaring when she saw that it was just Paul. "You're not funny."

He chuckled. "Some people appreciate my humor, love."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Yeah well, count me out of the minority then."

Paul poked her in the side and she giggled. "Don't make this a Christmas repeat. I _will_ pull your hair again," Dawn laughed. He just responded by wrapping an arm around her shoulder and kissing her on the cheek again.

"Got the lighter and the bucket of water for the burnt out sparklers. Got the kid?"

Dawn grinned and pointed at the porch swing. "Right over there."

As they headed out onto the driveway, they could see neighbors outside with their own family and friends, sparklers lit and some even shooting off little fireworks that popped in the air.

"And that," Paul said as one of the fireworks made and extra sharp _pop!_ as it exploded, "is why we don't do fireworks."

Arisa laughed at her father, holding out a hand for a sparkler. He pulled one out of the box in his back pocket and lit it wit the lighter he had grabbed from inside. Handing her the sparkler, he flicked the catch on the lighter. It took a few tries, but he finally got it lit. He held it to Arisa's sparkler, the three of them watching as it sparkled against the night's darkness, causing a small light between them.

"Wow, it's so pretty, Daddy!" Arisa said, bewildered by the color of the sparks. "Kyaa!" she cried, spinning around with the sparkler and causing her parents to laugh.

"Careful, Risa," Dawn warned. "Those sparks can hurt if you get too close. Isn't that right Paul?" She raised an eyebrow at her husband who only blushed and looked away. "Now, pull one of those out for me, I wanna play with it too."

Paul chuckled and reached for another sparkler. Handing it to Dawn he lit it, then pulled one out for himself. He touched the end of his to Dawn, both watching as the combined ends gave out more sparks, the light twice as bright together.

Dawn smiled at this thought, leaning her head on Paul's shoulder. Closing her eyes, she could still see the brightness of the sparklers against her eyelids. She felt the whisper of Paul's lips against her hair, and she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"How do you think the new year is going to be?" Paul murmured into her hair.

"Heh, I'm not sure. Another year, another grade, another year closer to Risa going to middle school." Dawn sighed. "I'm not ready to be the mother of a teenager."

Paul laughed lightly, muffled by dawn's hair. "She's still got five years, Dawn. Don't worry."

"But five years is so short, Paul. You should know that better than anyone." She raised an eyebrow at him with this comment.

Paul's face flushed as he said, "Yeah, well, do you have to bring that up now?"

She smiled again. "No, I guess not. But I just might do it later."

"Bring it up later, and you won't get your New Years kiss," he grumped.

Laughing, Dawn finally opened her eyes, looking up swiftly at Paul. Catching him by surprise, she lifted her face toward his in an unexpected kiss. "Well then, I guess I just stole my New Years kiss," she teased.

Their sparklers long burned out, they dropped them in the bucket, slightly sizzling and thin tendrils of smoke spiraling towards the night sky. Arisa came over and dropped hers in, almost demanding for another one. Paul lit one for her, and when she ran off, he turned to Dawn as they were surrounded in dakness once more.

"You," he growled, "are going to pay for that."

Dawn laughed nervously. "N-now Paul. Come now, dear." When she saw that he wasn't going to give in, she full out started begging. "Paul, come on. Paul!" She took off running across the yard with Paul hot on her heels.

"Come here you!"

Dawn squealed like a little girl in mock-terror as Paul chased her. She managed to twist out of his grip and mistep him countless times, but, finally, he caught her. He pulled her to the ground, trapping her with his arms in a vicegrip.

"Lemme go you big meanie!" she laughed, squirming in his grip. But it was futile, he was too strong.

"No, I should make you pay," he said into her ear. She giggled and continued to squirm.

But, in the end, he released her, and they both lay on the ground, Paul's arm used as a pillow for Dawn's head. Every so often Arisa would come over and ask for another sparkler. As soon as she'd leave, Paul would kiss his wife in a way that would make Arisa run away anytime she saw.

To them, the new year was very promising for their little family.


	3. Valentine's Day

**A/N**: Okay, I figure I should do a disclaimer for this one, since - Oh what the heck, you know what? I feel like using characters.

Paul: Are we just here for your amusement?

Me: … I admit to nothing.

Dawn: Oh Paul, don't be a spoil sport. Just do it!

Arisa: Yeah, yeah. Do it Daddy!

Paul: No.

Me: … I will write about your little "games" with Dawn if you don't -

Paul: All right already! **Wolf of the Light (previously i-luv-twilight-girl) doesn't own anything in this story except the children of the Pokemon characters and the plotline **… Happy?

Me: Vastly.

* * *

"But I want to come with you!"

Dawn sighed as she looked at Arisa sitting on the floor, her cheeks puffed out and a look of determination on her face. They'd explained it so many times to her, but it just never seemed to sink in that this was supposed to be Dawn and Paul's time alone. It's so hard trying to explain these kind of things to eight year olds.

"Risa, for the last time, no you can not come with us. This time is for Daddy and me to spend together," Dawn tried again. But it was hopeless. Arisa pretty much almost screamed "No!" with her eyes squinched shut and her face red with anger.

"I give up!" Dawn sighed, flopping onto the couch. "Paul, your turn."

"I see where she gets her tantrums from." Paul walked into the room as he was pulling on his jacket. When Arisa saw this, she just about burst into tears there on the floor.

"Daddy!" she cried, scrambling to her feet and running to her father and tugging on his pant leg. "Tell Mommy I can go with you two! I wanna go out too, it's not fair!"

Paul ran a hand through his hair then knelt to his daughter's height. Becoming eye-to-eye with her, he said, "Risa, you can't go with us tonight. Like Mommy said, this is time for us to spend together."

At these words, tears sprung to her eyes again. This made Paul falter for a moment - he hated it when either she or Dawn cried. When he looked up at his wife, she shook her head at him, making a "go on" motion with her hand. Taking a deep breath, he looked back down at Arisa, looking her square in the eye, then said, "No."

That did it. Arisa burst into tears, falling to her bottom on the floor and crying her eyes out. Paul sighed and covered his ears, standing up and saying to Dawn, "Your turn," as he walked over and sat on the couch.

Groaning, Dawn reluctantly stood and walked over to her sobbing daughter. This always happened whenever they wanted to go out by themselves. Arisa would throw a hissy fit and Paul and Dawn would leave her with her babysitters crying her eyes out, making them feel guilty the entire time the were out. It just wasn't worth it. But this time, they were going to find a way to pacify their daughter and manage to enjoy themselves. After all, today _was_ Valentine's Day. So she did what she had to when Arisa was a baby.

Picking Arisa off the floor she began to sing.

"_My prided Poketch, shines pink. When I lose my way, I make a coin toss. I'm always looking ahead, to what's in front of me. I'll become strong, by your side. I'll become that power._"

At the sound of her mother's singing voice Arisa began to calm, staring up at Dawn, who smiled lovingly down at her daughter. She continued to sing, switching languages.

"'_Ganbare' tte iu yori, 'daijoubu' tte tsutaetai. Shinjiru yuuki areba … Go go go! Kimi to nara, yeah! Issho ni, step! Ookiku, jump! Tobikoete yukeru darou? Donna yama mo, donna tani mo, kowakunai sa._"

As she sang, Dawn spun Arisa around, managing to get a giggle out of the child as she clutched her mother's arms. Paul, seeing Arisa smiling again, stood and walked over to them. Taking her from Dawn's hands, he continued where she had left off, switching the words back to English.

"_Everyone, yeah! Together, step! To tomorrow, jump! In a single moment, I feel it. I start to run, riding on the wind. I'm stronger!_" he sang.

Arisa gasped and cried, "Daddy's singing! Daddy's singing!" She loved it when Paul sang to her. She loved his voice, especially when he sang this song along with Dawn.

Since she knew Arisa would love it, Dawn joined in, singing along in English with Paul.

"_All of my dreams and all of my feelings, I hold them close to my heart as I continue on my journey_," they sang in harmony. "_If I'm stopped in a maze, I'll still stand completely still, because I believe in my comrades. Go go go!_"

Here, they switched again.

"_Kimi to nara, yeah! Issho ni, step! Ookiku, jump! Norikoete yukeru darou, donna tami mo, donna tsurasa mo. Daijoubu sa._"

Paul stopped, letting Dawn go on as she sang to their daughter, who had calmed enough to where her eyes were closed as she hummed along with her parents.

Dawn paused in her singing and said, "Here, Risa, why don't you sing with us?"

Arisa's eyes lit up and she nodded her head zealously, already the notes of the song ringing out through her voice.

"_Minna de, yeah!_" she sang with her mother, a smile splayed across her face, "_Issho ni, step! Ashita e, jump! Tadoritsukeru sa ippo zutsu, mae wo mitsume, aruite yuku. Motto tsuyoku._"

Back to English again.

"_If you and I, yeah!_" all three sang together. "_Together, step! And make a big jump! Will we be able to jump over them. No matter the mountains, the valleys, I'll have no fear._"

Dawn took Arisa from Paul's arm, cradling her in her own like she had when she was a baby. They'd always used this song as a lullaby to, well, lull her to sleep when she was fussy. She nor Paul had sung this much in a while and their words were still a little hesitant, even as they reached the end. But when they looked each other in the eye, they both smiled and began to finish strongly. Albeit in English.

"_Everyone, yeah! Together, step! To tomorrow, jump!_" The two sang softer as they saw that Arisa's eyes were becoming too heavy for her to hold up any longer, and soon enough, she was curled up against her mother, asleep. Dawn looked up at Paul, almost as if for confirmation to continue. He smiled slightly and nodded. Dawn smiled back, and, as she rested her head on his shoulder, sang the last lines of the song.

"_In a single moment, I feel it, I start to run. We won't lose our way again._"

Pressing a kiss to her forehead and another to Paul's cheek, Dawn carried Arisa to her room near the back corner of the house. She heard a knock at the front door, and while Paul answered it she tucked Arisa into bed.

Looking down at her daughter, she ran a hand over her indigo hair, a darker shade of Paul's purple, and smiled one more time as she sang softly, "_We won't lose our way again._" She'd always favored that last verse for a reason even she couldn't muster.

She brushed the thought away and stepped toward the door with one last look over her shoulder at Arisa. Arisa, who was sleeping so peacefully, who had been causing such a rucus earlier. Sometimes Dawn wondered if she herself was the reason her daughter had so many tantrums. She was prone to them often as a child.

She scoffed at this as she walked back down the hall. When she walked back into the living room, she saw that it was Zoey who was at the door. Dawn went and hugged her long-time friend, thanking her again for keeping an eye on Arisa as they went out.

"It's no problem," Zoey kept telling them as they thanked her. "I'm totally cool with watching little Risa for the night." She looked past Dawn to the hallway that led to the bedrooms. "I'm guessing that since I'm not hearing crying that she's asleep?"

Dawn laughed. "Yes, she's asleep. We sang her that lullaby from when we were kids."

"Ah, 'Kimi no Soba de,' right?" Zoey smiled at this. They'd created the song as children with their friends May, Misty, and Leaf, all who were probably out on dates. Zoey was the only exception.

"Sorry that Kenny can't take a hint, Zoe," Dawn apologized.

Zoey brushed her apology off. "Nah, it's okay. I figured, he's never going to show anything for me, why break my heart into pieces over it." She shrugged, showing no signs of remorse.

"Don't worry, I've gotten over it," she laughed as she saw her friend's expression. "I promise."

Dawn looked at her for a moment, then nodded her head to show she believed her. "All right," she said. "You ready?" She looked to Paul when she said this.

He nodded. "I've been ready for the hour and a half we were trying to make her stop crying."

Both girls laughed.

"You two have a good time!" Zoey called as Paul and Dawn headed for the car, Dawn turning to wave. When they drove off, Zoey closed the door and went to sit on the couch.

After about an hour of watching TV, she could hear sounds from the back of the house where Arisa was sleeping. Zoey became curious, so she muted the TV and got up to check.

It was Arisa. She was crying again, but from a nightmare probably, Zoey figured. So she sat down on the corner of Arisa's bed and ran a hand over her hair like Dawn had told her to, softly singing the words of their song.

At the sound of Zoey singing the lullaby, Arisa immediately calmed, drifting back into her dreams. When she saw that she was fully asleep again, Zoey went back to the living room and plopped back on the couch. "Man. I wish you had understood my feelings in high school you dimwit," she said, leaning her head back to stare at the ceiling. She was most certainly not over him, anyone could see that now that she'd revealed it, though only to herself.

Later, she caught herself singing words from the song. _We'll struggle to take that next step. I'll look straight ahead, start to walk. I'm stronger._

Zoey chuckled softly to herself. _Yeah. I hope we all can and be._ Then she picked up the remote to change the channel, settling herself against the cushions to wait the night out.

At around eleven or so, headlights shone in through the front windows, illuminating the interior of the living room, including Zoey passed out on the couch. Feeling exhausted around ten-thirty, she'd reclined on the couch and drifted off. Now, even as Dawn unlocked the door, she didn't stir.

Dawn glanced in, noticing the lights were off but the TV was still running. The screen was blinking because of some commercial about video games. Paul walked over and switched it off, the room falling now into complete darkness.

"Do you think we should wake her?" Dawn whispered, watching Paul in the dark as he walked across the room back towards her. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he buried his nose in her hair, saying, "Leave her. She'll probably thank us in the morning."

She laughed softly as his hand ran down her arm, sliding around her waist and stomach. "Paul, what are you doing?"

Muttering into her hair, he said, "Well, I thought that since the both of them are asleep …" He trailed off, leaving her to put it together. Once she did, she was just about in a fit of giggles, almost racing to the hall closet for a blanket for Zoey. They walked quickly down the hall to their bedroom, trying to be as quiet as they possibly could so they wouldn't wake Arisa. With the door shutting softly behind them, they went about with their little … let's call it "games."

* * *

**A/N**: I literally had no idea what I was doing when I was writing this xD I just figured out after a while that I wanted to include the song "Kimi no Soba de", Dawn's/Hikari's theme. Love that song. ^^ That's mostly what the disclaimer was for this chapter. Can't take credit for that.

And yes, when I had Paul say "children of the Pokemon characters", that means that there will be others besides just Arisa. Let's see who can guess who has a boy and who has a girl lol Oh, the shippings, if you haven't already seen the list in the summary, is Ikarishipping, Contestshipping, OldRivalshipping, and Pokeshipping. Guess the gender of their kids, that's a nice little game lol


	4. Easter

**A/N**: Okay, if anyone's been paying attention, then they would have noticed that my chapters are kind of short, some never getting over 3,000 words.

Well, buckos. Got some news for you. Guess how many pages are in this one?

TWELVE. I'm proud of myself, though most of it is just babble in a few places lol

Paul: Congratulations, you're ready for an award.

Me: Do I detect a hint of sarcasm in that statement?

Paul: Oh, no. Not at all.

Dawn: Paul, leave her alone. She could have made it worse for you, you know.

Paul: Yeah right.

Me: Don't tempt me pulper hair.

Paul: What the hell is pulper?

Dawn: On with the chapter! Before these two fight to the death ...

* * *

"One little, two little, three little, four little, five little, six little, seven little, eight litte. Nine little, ten little, eleven little, twelve little, thirteen little in my basket," Arisa sang.

She skipped, the woven basket that held her eggs swinging at her side as she frolicked through the wildflowers. Spinning around, she saw her parents following her slowly, and she raised an arm above her head and waved, calling, "Mommy, Daddy! Hurry, come see how many eggs I have in my basket!" Even after saying this, she scampered back toward them, the eggs in her basket bouncing enough to where if they hadn't been hard-boiled, they would have cracked long ago.

There were kids of all ages in the field, even some that were probably close to eighteen. But Easter was an all-age holidy (sort of), so why couldn't the older kids enjoy it too?

As she reached her parents, Dawn leaned over and held her arms open for Arisa, which the child promptly jumped into. The young mother held her daughter in both arms, smiling down at the indigo-haired child. "How many eggs do you have, sweetheart?"

Arisa held her basket toward her father instead of counting them out again, so Paul counted them instead. Pointing to each in turn he counted aloud. "One, two, three, four … ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen. Looks like our little chick has thirteen eggs of her own." He reached over and ruffled her hair, smiling slightly.

Arisa went to say something but she stopped, blinking for a moment as she stared at something over her mother's shoulder. Then her eyes widened and she smiled. Almost scrambling out of her mother's arms, she dropped to the ground, setting her basket down before racing off in the direction she had stared.

"Arisa?" Dawn cried, starting after her daughter, but stopped by Paul grasping her wrist. She looked back at him, but he only shook his head, saying, "Just wait."

She looked back in the direction that Arisa had run, and after a few moments of searching, spotted her dark hair a few meters away. She was dancing around in circles with another child who was older, maybe about twelve, with dark green hair. He laughed as Arisa held her arms out to him, and Dawn and Paul could hear her begging for a piggy back ride, even from as far away as they were. He obliged, kneeling to the ground so she could jump onto his back.

Arisa was giddy as he started walking toward her parents, kicking her legs gaily back and forth, pointing at eggs they passed, each a different color ranging from red to blue to purple to green, even to a light magnolia. She squealed when she saw one the color of fusia, making the boy lean over to pick it up.

Holding the egg as the approached, she called, "Mommy! Daddy! Look at the pretty egg Rudy picked up for me!" Dawn and Paul laughed as she hugged the boy around the neck, but Paul sputtered to a stop when his daughter said, "I'm marrying Rudy when I grow up!" and pressed a kiss to the boy's cheek.

Rudy laughed awkwardly at the situation, saying to Dawn, "Sorry Aunt Dawn. She never leaves me alone about this."

Dawn chuckled. "Don't worry, Rudy. I'm sure this is a phase for her. She'll probably grow out of it."

The boy looked at her. "When do you think that'll happen?"

Dawn looked away, bringing a finger to her lips like she was thinking, and said, "Oh, I don't know. Maybe when you leave for college?" Even that was a long shot.

Rudy hung his head, laughing weakly. "Oh man. I don't think it's ever going to happen if it takes that long."

The young mother smiled, patting Paul on the arm. "I'm not sure if this one could take it either. After all, she is Daddy's little girl, hmm?" Paul shot her a look, but she just brushed it off with a laugh.

"Anyway, I'm pretty sure you don't want to become married at such a young age, right Risa?" Dawn leaned forward, poking her daughter's cheek. But Arisa just giggled at her mother's touch, releasing her grip on Rudy and reaching her arms toward Dawn.

Smiling, she lifted the girl off Rudy's poor back. He straightened, pressing the heels of his hand into his lower back, popping his vertabrae into a more comfortable position. "Oh man, now I know how Uncle Paul feels when she has him carry her around all the time."

Paul chuckled at this. "Builds stamina," he said, taking Arisa from his wife's arms, setting her on his shoulder. "See? I can do this easy now. Back when she was five, I couldn't get her to sit still for even a moment."

This set Arisa into a fit of giggles, clutching at her father's hair and squirming around until she had a foot settled on either side of his head. Content with her new seat, she leaned against her father's head, her arms resting on top of his hair. "I like sitting this way better," she said, a smile splayed across her little face.

Her father just sighed, taking hold of her hands so she wouldn't fall off. Arisa kissed her father's hair, burying her face in its softness and saying, "I love you, Daddy."

Hearing these words, Paul's features softened as he replied, "Love you too, sweetheart."

Touched, Dawn cooed, "Aww!" in a very loud and annoying voice. "You see this Rudy? The man is a cupcake when his daughter says it, but when I do he's still a rock!" She reached forward, pinching both of her husband's cheeks lightly. "You show more love and affection toward your daughter, I swear!" she pouted.

Paul, sighing, released one of Arisa's hands. He grabbed Dawn's wrist and tugged her forward to where she stood closer to him. Leaning forward, he whispered in her ear. Arisa tried to listen by also leaning forward, but by the time she'd gotten close enough to hear, all she could catch was _affection_ and _later_. She was still too young to piece it together, even after her mother straightened, her cheeks red. Paul smirked at this, he was glad he still had that affect on her.

Their little moment was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. The young couple looked up the see a man and woman standing on either side of a blushing Rudy. He'd managed to figure out what they were talking about, but he wasn't very good at hiding it.

"I see you still whisper things in each others ears like teenagers," the man said. He had hair like Rudy's, but a shade lighter. "Really, Paul. This isn't high school."

The woman smacked the man in the back of the head. "Oh, be quiet Drew. Rudy, cover your ears." Rudy listened to his mother, plugging his ears and humming to himself to shut out any noise they might make. "You can't say anything. What was it you said a few nights ago? _Oh May, I can't believe you've still_ -" she started to say, but was interrupted when Drew hurriedly covered her mouth, blushing furiously.

"May! What do you think you're doing?" He didn't dare uncover her mouth for fear of what she just might spout. "I can't believe you'd say that with Rudy and Risa right here!"

But May just laughed, swatting his hands away. "Drew, Rudy's ears are plugged, and I'm sure little Risa has no idea what we're talking about." She looked towards the little purplette, smiling sweetly. "Do you sweetheart?"

"Nope!" the little girl chirped, swinging her legs lightly back and forth.

"You see?" May said, looking back at Drew, Rudy's humming hanging in the air as he continued to try and not hear the conversation. "Okay, Rudy. That's getting annoying dear." She pulled his fingers out of his ears, snapping him out of his semi-vegetative state.

"Huh? Oh, sorry Mom. Didn't know you were done." He looked to his father. "I'm guessing grown up stuff?"

Drew sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You guess correct, son."

Rudy laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, I kinda figured."

May smiled and wrapped an arm around her son's shoulder. "Don't worry. Come high school, you'll learn about it," she said, poking fun at him. She sniffed as if she were about to cry, and said, "But then my baby boy will be grown up and won't need his mommy anymore." She emphasized this by rubbing her cheek against him, embarrassing him thoroughly.

"M-Mom! Leggo!" The boy tried to push his mother away, but she just laughed, releasing him to allow him the time to rub away her mom cooties from his face.

Laughing, Dawn said, "How about we let these two see if they can find Alexius and Reese? I'm pretty sure they're here with they're parents."

"Glad to," Rudy said. Drew reached forward and ruffled his son's hair. "I'd love to get away from this. Too much affection for my taste."

"Watch it, mister," May said, poking her son in the back. "If you don't pay mind to what comes out of that mouth of yours, I could do worse."

But Rudy just brushed her comment off with a "Yeah right."

She raised an eyebrow at him. It was almost like a dare. "Do you think I won't do it?" Rudy just snorted at her in defiance. This made her look at her husband and say, "He really thinks I won't do it."

Drew sighed and put his face in his hands. "Son, please. You know how your mother is. She _will_ do it if you push her too far. Do you not remember last time?"

"Last time?" Dawn looked at Drew. "What happened last time?"

"Let's just say that we're never allowed back into the public swimming pool near our house. _Ever_."

At the mention of this, Rudy paled. Thoughts of girls laughing and him sinking below the water in shame made him remember just how horrible his mother could be if she wanted to. She had enough dirt on him from over the years to ruin his whole life, scare away any girl, and scar him forever.

This made his ego deflate enough to where he muttered, "I'll just go find Lexi and Reese. Come on Risa."

Paul set Arisa on her feet and watched as the two headed off across the field in search of the other two children, hand in hand. Shaking his head, he looked back to Drew, saying, "What did May do that was so horrible?"

Sighing again, Drew rubbed his forehead, ignoring his wife's pestering as she kept telling him to tell them. Frowning, he started recalling the events of that day to his childhood friends.

_The sun was shininig like any other normal day at the public pool. May, Drew, and Rudy walked in through the front gates, a gaggle of giggling girls rushing past them in little two-pieces that could barely be passed off as bathing suits._

_Rudy's eyes followed them as they raced by, but was brought back from his oggling by a sharp pain in the back of the head. His mother had whacked him with her bag._

"_Don't you even think about it, young man," she said sternly. May was easy going most of the time, but when it came to her son and girls, oh boy did she go into hyper drive Mother Mode._

"_I was only looking, Mom!" he claimed, rubbing the sore spot on the back of his cranium. "I mean, besides, I'm only ten! I don't even like girls yet."_

_May shared a long look with Drew. They knew their son was putting up a front. He was just like his father when he was his age. Even at ten, Drew had an interest in girls, but it wasn't as large as Rudy's. Except when it came to May, but it took him a few years to admit it._

"_Son, trust me," Drew said, clapping his son on the shoulder in sympathy. "Soon enough you're going to take a greater interest in them. But try not to let it show. Or else you might end up like your mother and me."_

_Rudy looked at his father in confusion._

_Drew sighed. "Let's just say that one thing led to another on prom night, and nine months later, you were born."_

_The boy looked at his father, his brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what he meant. When he finally pieced it together, a look of horror crossed his face. He rushed past his parents, his face burning red as he sat down on one of the pool chairs._

"_Think we should have told him later?" Drew looked at his young wife._

_She shook her head, saying, "No, he probably would have figured it out sooner or later. I mean, who has a ten year old at twenty-seven without the child having been born during or right after high school?"_

_Her husband nodded. "True."_

He paused here, running things over in his head. Dawn took this time to ask questions. "So Rudy is becoming like you Drew?"

Drew puffed his chest out, holding his head high in pride. "Like they say, apple from a tree."

May rolled her eyes at her husband's pomposity, causing Dawn and Paul to chuckle. "Yeah, well. I think the apple's either rotted or rolled too far away from the tree, dear. We really don't need another one of you. One's bad enough already."

He huffed at May's comment in indignation, looking away and glaring at the trees that sat on the other side of the field. May laughed a little to herself, then wrapped her arms around her husband's waist and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"Why don't you finish the story, hm? Faster you tell it, the faster we can get home and … you know." She winked at him for emphasis, a blush creeping across Drew's face at the concept of what awaited him at home.

Clearing his throat, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him, picking back up where he left off.

_Walking over to their son, Drew and May plopped down on either side of him. May patted him on the head, smiling at him when he looked up. "Hey, sorry about that. You okay?"_

_Rudy looked between his parents, his eyes finally coming to rest on his mother. "Did you finish high school?"_

_May wrapped an arm around her son's shoulder, pulling him close. He didn't move away, just let himself be close to his mother. She rested her chin in his hair, saying, "Yes, I finished. But barely. It was graduation, and as I was walking up the steps to the stage to receive my diploma, I started going into labor."_

_Rudy shivered at the thought of how he almost ruined his mother's graduation. "But," she continued, "I had your father here carry me across the stage to get my diploma, whether I was having a baby or not. Nothing was going to keep me from graduating when I had gone that far for that long. On the way to the hospital, I told your dad, 'I am never going through this again. I swear, you can never, ever, touch me again, so help me.'" May chuckled. "I blamed the whole thing on your father."_

"_Which it was rightly deserved, yes, I know dear." Drew sighed. "She hasn't let me live this down for ten years. Forget one thing and something else happens."_

_The young boy looked at his dad in confusion. "What did you forget?"_

_A blush formed on both parents' faces. "W-we'll tell you when your older," Drew managed to stammer. His son stared at him. "Really."_

_Seeming to believe them, the boy nodded. He stood. "I'm gonna go get in the pool. Try not to do anything to kick us out," he said while pulling off his shirt and kicking his shoes beneath the pool chair._

_His mother _tsk_-ed. "You know, Rudy. You should never say something like that to me. Especially when there are so many pretty, pretty little girls around your age running around here." Smiling at him knowingly, chills crept up the boy's spine_

"_You wouldn't." He glared at her. She just shrugged him off._

"_Oh, you don't want to tempt me, my dear. You never know what I just might do when someone doesn't believe me when I say I'd do something."_

_Scoffing, Rudy walked off, mumbling, "Yeah right," as he jumped into the water, sending chlorine-filled drops of water in the direction of his parents. An especially large amount landed on May. She sat still for a few moments, drenched from head to foot. She was still in her clothes, so that made it worse._

_Finally, after a little while, she stood. Walking over to the edge of the pool she cleared her throat, and before Drew could stop her, she began to yell. "Hey, everybody!" All eyes turned to her as she planted her hands on her hips, feet spread. "You see the young boy with the green hair and blue eyes, around ten?" She shielded her eyes from the blaring sun, searching for the one she called son in the large cluster of people in bathing suits._

_Ducking behind an extremely large man, Rudy tried to drop underwater to avoid attention. But as the crowd searched for the boy May had described, Rudy heard the giggles of girls not too far away from him. Looking over, he saw two girls in similar two-piece bathing suits huddled together. He instantly knew they were laughing at him._

"_Ah, there he is. There's my boy!"_

_Freezing, Rudy didn't dare turn around. He felt the movement of water as the man behind him moved, exposing him to the rest of the pool-goers. He couldn't have been more embarrassed by his mother in his life._

"_Girls, I'd like to say something to all of you. My son here is just getting interested in girls, and I was hoping one of you would be happy to help him with that." When snickers were heard around the pool, May laughed. "No, no, not anything like that. The boy's only ten. But, I'd still like for him to learn something, say, how to kiss for one."_

_Mortified couldn't even express how Rudy was feeling then. He was beyond it. May kept going on, about how he was such a sweet boy and a good catch for any girl, but to just watch out. He might be taking after his father. This caused a riot of laughter around the pool, which just made Rudy sink even lower beneath the surface of the pool, just wishing that he could drown himself then and there and escape from the humiliation and embarrassment he was feeling._

* * *

"And so, basically, the lifeguard who was in charge at the time asked May to bring her little pity party for our son to come to an end. Then they asked us to leave." Drew sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. Sometimes, his wife just amazed him with how just one thing could set her off to do something like that to their child.

Silence hung around them as all this sunk in. Dawn felt sorry for the poor boy while Paul just shook his head, unbelieving someone could actually do that. Their thoughts were interrupted when May said, "He said I wouldn't do it. I proved him wrong."

Dawn sighed and said, "May, I think you went a little too far with that."

The brunette raised an eyebrow at her childhood friend. "He jumped into the pool and splashed water all over me. He also didn't believe I would embarrass him. As his mother, I had to prove the boy wrong."

"True …" Dawn agreed. She held up a finger. "I do agree with you on the embarrassing part, but to that extent?"

Shrugging, May turned her attention to her husband, wrapping her arms around his waist. "He has learned not to push me too far now, as he should have known then. I mean, I even warned him, did I not?" She directed this at her husband.

He sighed, saying, "Yes, you did." She nodded, finally satisfied.

They got to talking about other things, how Arisa's birthday was coming up in a few months and how Rudy was so close to becoming a high schooler. May got teary when the subject of her son graduating from middle school came up. She was as attached to her young son as Paul was to Arisa. They both brought the best out of said attatched parents, as Dawn had mentioned earlier about how Paul was a cupcake to little Arisa.

When Rudy and Arisa finally came back, two children trailed along after them. One was a boy with dark brown hair and green eyes, the other a little girl with black hair and brown eyes. They were all singing a song as they walked, something that sounded like "Once Upon A Dream," a song from the movie _Sleeping Beauty_, but the other version by Emily Osment. It was one of Arisa's favorite songs, so she had to be the one who had taught them.

"_Once upon a time, once upon a night, once upon a wish. Once upon a dream_," they sang, managing to keep time between the four of them. They all laughed as they drew closer, the two other children having to take larger steps to keep up with Rudy's long stride. Once they were a few feet away, Arisa raised her arm above her head and sprinted toward her parents, tugging Rudy along by the hand. The boy and girl tailed them, and by the time they'd reached the grown ups they were all out of breath. Except for Arisa of course.

"Mommy, Mommy!" she called, running up and latching onto her mother's leg. Rudy stumbled to a stop behind the young purplette, almost tripping over his own feet. "We found Alexius and Reese just like we said we would!"

Dawn laughed at her daughter's enthusiasm, picking her up off the ground and holding her close. The child was small compared to the other three. "I can see that. Hello Alex, hello Reese," she said to the boy and girl as they sat on the ground, panting.

"H-hi Aunt Dawn," they puffed together.

All the grown ups laughed, except Paul, who just smirked. Reese laid back in the grass, his breathing steadily slowing until it was back to normal. "Okay," he said. "I'm good."

"Then how about some of this?" Reese looked up just in time to see Alexius stuff some grass into his face, causing him to splutter and try to scramble away, but she just jumped onto his back, giggling. This made the all the adults sweat drop. The two were closest in age, being nine and a half and ten, and the two teased each other constantly, like a brother and sister would. Or, to be more precisely, like May and Drew from elementary school all the way through high school. The violence was toned down a bit, but it was still there.

They rolled around on the ground for a bit, grass sticking to their clothes and hair as they tussled. Dawn and May smiled at their playfulness while Drew chuckled and Paul just shook his head. Arisa laughed, Rudy just sighed. "All right you two," the young green-haired boy said. "Time to break it up." He leaned over, grabbing the two by the back of their shirts, managing to pull them apart.

"Hey! Lemme go Rudy!" Reese cried.

Alexius laughed. "Reese is being man-handled!" she said, pointing at the boy.

He just kicked grass at her in retaliation.

As they laughed, the ringing of a cellphone started to play. The grown ups looked between themselves, since they were the only ones who had them. After fishing around in their pockets for a few moments, the ringing stopped. No one moved, waiting. Pretty soon it picked up again.

"It's mine!" Dawn cried, holding up her pink cellphone. Even in adulthood she liked the girlish color.

As she pressed the phone to her ear, all hell seemed to break loose between the children. Reese kicked Rudy in the shin and tackled Alexius once he'd managed to regain his footing. Falling to the ground in front of his mother, Rudy growled and started to stand up again, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Looking up, he saw his father shaking his head. "Just wait. He'll get what's coming."

Frowning, Rudy turned to watch as the two children wrestled. It wasn't very playful anymore, and Reese seemed serious this time, as did Alexius. The older boy seemed to be getting the better of young Alexius, but the girl managed kicked him off her and send him sprawling on his stomach. Before he could get up again, Alexius sat on Reese's back, digging her knees into his shoulders and pressing her hand into the side of his face.

"Do you give?" She was panting, though not unused to the fighting that Reese started. They were like brother and sister after all, of course there was going to be some fighting between them.

The boy just glared up at her, his green eyes flashing in anger. This made Alexius push harder, until he started crying, "Okay! Okay! I give already!"

Satisfied, Alexius nodded. She got off of him, skipping her way back over to the adults. Latching herself on to Dawn's leg - who, by the way, was turned away from the slight mayhem the entire time - the girl said, "Is that Mama or Papa?"

Looking down at the girl, Dawn smiled. "Yes sweetie, it's your mama. She wants you to head over to the sycamores." Shifting her eyes over to the pouting boy still sitting on the ground, she said, "She wants you to bring Reese too."

Nodding up at the older woman, Alexius released her leg and skipped over to May. Tugging on her shirt she said, "Aunt May?"

The brunette smiled down at her. "Yes sweetheart?"

"Can you help me drag Reese over to the sycamores?" She smiled, showing a gap where she'd lost a tooth recently. "Pleeaassee?"

May laughed. "Of course." Taking the little girl's hand in hers, she told Drew and Rudy she'd be right back, then went and literally dragged a grumbling Reese across the grass and over toward the tall trees not even a quarter mile away.

Shaking her head, Dawn said into her phone, "They're on their way with May right now." She laughed at something Misty said. "Yeah, she's dragging him while he pouts the whole way."

Frowning for a moment, she looked off in the direction in which May and Alexius had just walked. She shielded her eyes from the sun, and finally seeing what she'd looked for, waved an arm above her head. In the distance, a certain red-headed woman and black haired man were waving back, waiting on their child to return with her friend and May. A little ways behind them, Dawn could see Leaf and Gary under the tree, most likely laughing at how May was dragging him against his will, if the slight echo of their laughter was any indication.

Smiling, Dawn looked to her husband. "Paul, wave at them."

He frowned at her. She knew he wasn't really the friendly type, never really had been, but there had been moments where she'd forced it out of him. Like singing to Arisa, although that wasn't exactly something she forced him to ever do. She knew he enjoyed it.

"Why should I wave?"

Dawn raised an eyebrow, as if saying "Oh, you did _not_ just say that."

"What?"

Putting her free hand on her hip, she turned away from him, saying into her phone, "Sorry Misty, apparantly, Paul is going to be rude today." She paused. "I know right? It's almost like we're teenagers again, except this time it's not outside my house -"

"All right already!" Paul cried, bringing his hands up to his head, tugging on his hair. "I'll bloody wave at them, if it'll get you to stop talking about when we were teenagers."

Victorious, Dawn said something else to Misty then goodbye, snapping her phone shut and sticking it in her back pocket. Wrapping an arm around her husband's waist she said, "Good. Now come on, Mr. Rock. Wave at your friends from childhood."

Paul rolled his eyes. As he was about to raise his arm, Arisa jumped up and down, grabbing at his shirt. "I wanna wave too, I wanna wave too!"

Chuckling slightly to himself, Paul leaned over and picked his daughter up and set her on his shoulder. Once she'd gotten a grip on his hand, she brought an arm above her head and waved wildly. Dawn laughed at her daughter's energy and Paul smiled slightly.

Looking over at Drew and Rudy where the boy still sat on the ground, Arisa said, "Uncle Drew, Rudy, you two wave too! We can all wave!" Then, looking down at her mother and smiling, she held on to her father's hair to stay steady so he could wave with them while his other arm wrapped around Dawn's waist. They could all see their friends now, all of them beneath the sycamore trees as they waved. May stood next to Misty, Ash, and Alexius, and Leaf and Gary stood behind their son. They all raised their arms above their heads in waves, each of them smiling.

A cloud rolled over the sun then, casting a shadow over the field. This made Dawn look up. Drew followed her eyes, frowning when he saw that the white fluffly cumulous clouds had been twisting and turning until they'd become dark and uniformly gray. The rain in them just seemed to be threatening to fall. No sooner had he thought this, cool drops began to hit his forehead, Arisa crying out when they landed on her head. Before it could start to pour, Drew called, "Head for the sycamores! They should be able to shield us from the rain, even if everybody else from the egg hunt decide to hide under them."

Pulling Rudy to his feet, they took off in the direction of the tall trees, the people and families around them getting the right idea. Little kids yelled and screamed around them as they made it to cover, either in fear of the sudden clap of lightening, or in elation as the rain picked up to where they could run around in it and splash others.

Once they reached safety beneath the trees, they were all panting, Drew and Dawn doubled over from the running. Ringing out her shirt, Dawn cried, "I'm completely soaked!" Beside her, Arisa shivered on her father's shoulders, her little face buried in his soaked hair. Managing to pull his jacket off, Paul draped it over his daughter, picking her up off his shoulders and holding her instead.

"M-Mommy, it's cold," she stammered. She wrapped her arms around Paul's neck in what felt like a chokehold to him, but he kept his mouth shut.

"I know baby, I'm sorry. The weatherman didn't say anything about rain today." Dawn frowned. "Mom always told me to never believe them."

May stepped over to Dawn, still completely dry. She grinned, saying, "Have a nice bath, Dawn?" Their girlfriends behind her laughed softly. They knew what May had coming for teasing Dawn.

Glaring at the older girl, Dawn smirked, mimicking her husband's ways. She edged toward May ever so slowly, flexing her fingers at her side. "Hey May," she said teasingly. "Why don't you come over here and give me a hug?"

May edged away, one foot shuffling behind the other as she tried to creep away. When Dawn tried to pounce on her, she scuttled away, kicking up grass as she turned tail and ran. "Get back here!" Dawn cried as she chased after her.

Embarrassed beyond belief, Paul smacked his forehead, hoping that this was just some some of bizarre dream, and any second now he would wake up and have a normal wife with a normal personality. Yeah right.

As Dawn continued to chase her childhood friend, the grownups stood by, grinning as they acted like children, while those under thirteen laughed at the absurd actions taken by the parents. Paul just shook his head and held onto the now-asleep Arisa.

* * *

**A/N**: Woo! Chapter four, only three to go, plus even some bonus chapters coming up in between. Like Risa's birthday, and something real real significant and life-changing for our little Shinji family ^^

Paul: ... What the hell was that about me being a cupcake and being a "pupler hair"?

Me: Dads are always bakery goods around their daughters, especially when they're the ones who spoil them the most!

Paul: ... I resent that statement.

Dawn: Paul, just cut it out. Admit it, you love our daughter.

Paul: ... I admit to nothing.

Dawn and me: PAUL!


	5. Bonus: Mother's Day

**A/N**: MWAHAHAHAHA, I have complied with one of my reviewer's request and written a Mother's Day bonus chapter! Now, it's not as long as a usual chapter, because it's mostly filler for later chapters. But I hope you enjoy it nonetheless! I must say, this went along better than I expected it to.

Paul: Well, with as much writers block as you go through, I'm surprised as well.

Me: *Fuming silently*

Dawn: Paul! Apologize, now!

Paul: Hmph.

Me: No, no, Dawn. It's okay.

Dawn: Well ...

Paul: See? There's nothing to worry about with - *POW*

Me: *Sets Misty's mallet on shoulder* Well, that's taken care of.

Arisa: On to the story pretty please!

* * *

Mother's Day. Ah, such a wonderful holiday where hard working mothers around the world are appreciated with breakfast or with a card. Maybe even a flower and home-made coupons for house cleaning and a massage.

If only things were like that in real life.

In the Shinji household, things weren't exactly done for Mom. Dawn still had to do the cleaning and the washing, breakfast, lunch, and dinner were made all by her, although Paul helped with about half of each meal. If there was ever a mess made by the young Arisa Shinji, it was Dawn's job to clean it up because Paul was always working to make sure they had food and a running house.

"Mommy, Mommy!"

Dawn groaned, looking down at her eight year old daughter as she pulled at the hem of her shirt. She had paint all over her face and right hand, thankfully being the one by her side as she vied for her mother's attention. "What is it Risa?"

"Do you want to see my picture? I painted one of Mommy!"

The ache between her shoulders seemed to lessen as she followed her paint-smeared eight year old into the living room. But what she saw stopped her in her tracks. Even Arisa tugging on her hand couldn't move her.

"Risa … What did you do?"

Arisa looked quizically at her mother then searched for what her mother was talking about. She cried out when she saw the spreading blue puddle on the carpet that dripped from an overturned paint bottle sitting on its side on the coffee table. The young girl scrambled to right the bottle, but it was too late. The damage had been done.

This seemed to be the last straw for Dawn. Her weariness took over, making her shoulders slump and her head hang slightly at the thought of having to bring out the detergent and brush to clean up the paint. Arisa twisted the cap back on the bottle, apologizing profusely to her mother while doing so. Tears streamed down her face and mixed with the drying paint on her cheeks, changing the clear drops to red, blue, purple. This was the one time where she thought she could make something nice for her mother, to show her she appreciated Dawn's love and kindness. But it was ruined now.

Dawn sighed and knelt down to Arisa's level. She wiped the rainbow of tears away from her daughter's cheeks, rubbing some paint off. It flaked off and stuck to her thumb, but she was too tired to even really notice. "Arisa, sweetheart," she said quietly. "Why don't you go and play in your room while Mommy cleans this up, okay?"

The child sniffed. "You're not mad?"

A small smile was all that Dawn could muster at the moment as she looked at her child. Knowing it was a complete accident, how could she be mad at her only child who was only a fragile eight years old? Only a tyrant would be. That was Paul's job. But no, she was not furious with Arisa. "No, sweetheart. Mommy's not mad."

Sniffling, Arisa nodded, giving a quick hug to her mother before running off to her room at the back of the house. Dawn sighed as she stood, making her way to the kitchen to find the detergent under the sink. They had no need for locks. Arisa knew better than to be scrounging around in the cabinets and ingesting dangerous liquids. Dawn and Paul were so glad they were raising her with at least a few morals. Now if only they could get rid of her tantrums everything would be perfect.

She set to work on the living room carpet, scrubbing away with the brush in hand. The hard bristles of the brush set a rythmn as she worked, and she counted along in her head - _skrch skrch_, one-two, _skrch sckrch_, three-four. It was like a pace set for her. She was so absorbed in her work that the sound of a car door shutting didn't register in her ears, she was too engrosed in managing the stain she hoped wasn't setting in.

"Dawn?"

Paul's voice startled her back to reality. Blinking, she looked up, the sight of her husband confusing her for a moment. "Paul?" she said tentatively. "I thought you weren't getting back till five."

Her husband looked at the watch on his wrist, his brow furrowing when he glanced back at her. "Dawn, it's almost five now. Are you okay?" He came around the couch, dropping his keys on the side table by the door. But his feet stopped when he came to where she was crouched on the carpet, brush held numbly in her hand as she stared up at him. "Dawn, what …? What happened?"

The young man wasn't usually one for concern, but the sight of his wife on her knees on the floor holding a scrubbing brush and detergent in her hands slightly disturbed him. When he saw the stain, he finally understood though.

Frowning, he dropped to one knee and took the brush from Dawn, finally noticing how tired she looked. He peered at her curiously, asking, "Dawn …? Did Arisa do something today?"

When the tears started to fill her eyes, Paul set the brush aside, taking the detergent bottle away from her as well, and pulled her into a hug. He'd never noticed her fatigue with keeping the house together until now. But when he saw the bottles of paint on the coffee table along with many sheets of paper already covered in dry paint that was so thick it was peeling on top, he realized what had set her over the top, and what Arisa had been trying to do for her mother.

He leaned forward and lifted his young, exhausted wife into his arms, feeling slightly ashamed when she wrapped her arms wearily around his neck. The man didn't really help out around the house, except when it came to meals. Work kept him occupied most of the day, and with Dawn taking the role of an at home mom, stress had began to pile up inside Dawn over the last few years. Acting as babysitter for their child was a full-time job before and after she was home from school. It was just becoming too much for her to handle. So he did what he could and carried her to their room where he laid her gently on the bed, feeling even more retched when she curled up into a ball as he pulled the covers over her. As he closed the door behind him, listening to her soft breaths as she fell easily into sleep, his resolve was set.

The hallway to his daughter's room was a short walk, and when he opened the door to Arisa's room he had expected her to be bouncing around at the thought of no parental supervision while her mother was cleaning. But no, she was sitting quietly on her bed, the pencil in her hand moving across the paper of a sketch pad they had bought her some time ago. It had been left somewhere under her bed, but it seemed that she had managed to scrounge it up from the piles of missing clothes, shoes, and toys that were the recesses hidden beneath her mattress.

"Hi Daddy," she murmured as he walked in. She kept her eyes on the paper, so absorbed in what she was either writing or drawing. Paul had never really seen her act like this before. Usually his daughter seemed almost hyperactive, just like her mother, but she was calm now, like Paul. This struck him as odd, so he crossed the room to see what Arisa was doing.

What he saw startled him. Arisa was drawing a picture of Dawn, one so close to the real thing it was shocking.

"Risa …" She looked up. "Where did you learn to draw like this?"

The child just tilted her head to the side, staring up at him with eyes like a cat's. "What do you mean? I drew a picture for Mommy for her birthday last year."

"Yes, yes, I know that. But it was of a kitten." Paul knelt next to Arisa's bed. He looked at her with steady eyes. "I have something I want to ask you."

This made the little girl smile like she usually did. "What is it?"

One of his not-so-rare-anymore smiles lit Paul's face slightly. "Come with me and you'll see."

* * *

Everything in the house was quiet for once. A little too quiet for Dawn's liking. Where was Arisa and her shouts of joy while she played? Usually if she had upset herself she would soon find something to distract herself after a while.

Dawn sat up in the bed and pushed the covers away. She was beginning to feel too hot under the comforter. With a glance about the room, she saw that it was still light out, a long panel of sunshine stretching across the carpet from the window. The fact that she was in bed while there was still a mess to clean up disturbed Dawn slightly, so she slid to the floor and crossed the room to the door. It squeaked slightly when she opened it, making her flinch at the loud-sounding noise in the almost silent house. Almost.

With the door open, she could finally hear some sounds coming from the front of the house. Setting her determination she tiptoed down the hall until she came to the kitchen doorway. Lovely smells were drifting in her direction from inside, so she peeked her head around the doorjamb until she could see what was making that wonderful aroma.

The light of the kitchen blinded her slightly at first, her eyes used to the darkness of the hall. But what she saw once her eyes adjusted brought tears to them.

With a little gasp, she stepped into the brightly lit kitchen as she watched her husband and daughter hovering over the stove, arguing about who knows what, Dawn didn't care. She was too happy at the sight of not being the one in the kitchen for once. Her tears slid down her face silently as they continued to bicker, oblivious to her presence until a small sob escaped.

Both of them jumping, startled by the sudden, yet small, sound, they looked over at Dawn to see her rushing to rub the tears away, a quick apology forming from the young woman as she looked on. "S-sorry. I didn't want to interrupt."

Arisa jumped down from the stool she had been standing on and rushed over to her mother, latching on to her thigh. Looking up at her mother, she grinned and cried, "Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!"

The blunette just stared at her daughter wordlessly. When she looked up at her husband questioningly, he just nodded, replying with a curt "Happy Mother's Day, Dawn."

Tears streamed down her face now, and another sob rose up as Dawn dropped to her knees and held her child tightly. "Thank you," she wept gratefully, she was so very thankful that someone was doing something for her once.

Arisa just smiled and held on to her mother tightly, which just made Dawn cry harder. Shaking his head, Paul walked over and wrapped an arm around his wife, kissing her on top of her head. He rested his cheek against her hair, making her feel ever more loved than she had ever before. Growing up with only a mother had been lonely for her during childhood, so to make up for it she always wore a smile so she wouldn't worry Johanna or her friends. It was hard, so very, very hard to keep smiling when she felt a pang of envy whenever she'd seen neighborhood kids walking home with their mother and father.

But none of that mattered now. Now, she had a family of her own. A sweet, adorable daughter who loved both her and Paul very much. A loving husband (_When he feels like it_, she thought wryly.) who cared for the both of them and worked so much to help keep them together as a family. She never wanted to lose either of them. But there was something she had to tell her husband soon, or he was going to notice in a few months.

Wiping away her tears, Dawn took a deep, shaking breath to try and steady herself, but lost it when a small laugh escaped at what she was thinking of telling her husband. But she finally managed to put on an air of calm, enough to where she could speak without her voice shaking so much with the prospect of what he might say. _Will he accept it? Tell me to go no further?_ she'd been wondering the past few days. _Will he want to keep it?_ Pulling another deep breath into her lungs, Dawn managed to find a way to begin what she wanted to say. "Paul, there's something I need to tell you."

He looked quizzically at her, his eyebrows raised high. The expression alone made Dawn blush furiously, her face feeling so hot she feared she might faint. But she pressed on as best she could, which didn't turn out for the best. "P-Paul, I, I, I'm … Um …"

She stuttered along, confusing the poor man and child. So much so that they both stared at her expecantly. This frustrated her to no end, so she released one arm around Arisa and grabbed Paul's hair, the one way she knew best to get his attention. She pulled him toward her and whispered in his ear what she had been trying to say for the past minute or so around her stumblings and stutterings.

As she let go of his hair, Paul sat there in shock, staring at his blushing wife. Then when realization hit him he asked, "How long?"

This was so embarrassing to say in front of little Arisa, but Dawn replied with, "About a month. But I'm not completely sure on when."

Staring seemed to be the only thing Paul could do then. After seeming to thaw after a few moments of silence between the three of them, he broke out in a silly grin, something so unlike him that it startled Dawn and Arisa. He wrapped his arms around the both of them, whispering, "I can't wait," into his wife's ear. This made Dawn just start crying again, but they were still happy tears.

But Arisa was still so confused. All she could do was look between her mother and father as Dawn cried into the child's hair and Paul held the both of them tightly. "Mommy?"

Dawn kissed her daughter on the head to acknowledge that she'd heard her.

"Mommy, why are you crying again? Why are you smiling at the same time?"

Her mother just wrapped her closer into her arms, saying the one thing she knew her daughter would understand: "We're going to be a family. A bigger one."

It seemed to take Arisa a moment to understand, but when she did her face lit up once more. "Really? Yay!" She snuggled closer to both her parents, almost knocking them all to the floor. Dawn and Paul laughed as they steadied each other back to where they were still and vertical. Smiling seemed to be the only thing the three could do at the moment, but they didn't care. They were a family. Were going to _be_ a family, once Dawn's little surprise came.

She was so glad she'd managed to finally tell him. It felt like a weight was lifted off her chest, all the weariness she'd felt earlier seeming to just evaporate as the happiness settled around the three of them. Her words still echoed in her husband's ears though, ones he wouldn't forget for a long while: "Do you want it to be a boy or a girl?"

* * *

**A/N**: I feel so darned accomplished it's not even funny lol But, I hope you did enjoy reading this little bonus chapter of mine. It took some thinking to plan this one out. And I don't even use an outline for my stories, I just type like a chicken pecking at feed on the ground. I feel better about myself when I do that xD

Paul: WHY DID YOU HIT ME?

Me: Because you are an egotistical, cynical, most thick headed male around!

Paul: ...

Dawn: Sigh, I really hope it isn't like this in a few months.

Arisa: Bye-bye for now! And everyone wish your mothers Happy Mother's Day and do nice things for them!^w^


	6. Bonus: Father's Day

**A/N**: Hot dog! With camp and going to Florida today, I'm surprised I was able to finish this so soon, give or take the four days I had left until I was supposed to upload it xD It took me only two hours to write the last five or so pages of this bonus filler. But God, I hope it's worth it later on to be loading it this early because I won't have my laptop with me to do it with. That and I don't want to bother my best friend about her computer the entire time we're down in Florida lol

Paul: You had better not hit me this time.

Me: Nah, I've been drinking Pepsi this whole time, I'm good for now.

Dawn: I'm so glad, I don't like it when you two fight.

Paul: For some reason she only gets my real character in the author's notes.

Me: ...

Dawn: Um, Paul ...

Arisa: On to the story please! Oh yeah, and i-luv-twilight-girl does not own anyone in this story, except for the children in Family Time!

* * *

Paul flopped on the couch, his tired arms loosening the tie around his neck. All day in an office was physically tiring, but it worked his brain enough to where he wanted to throw his desk out the window, it was so frustrating sometimes. But his daughter running in at that moment was no better.

"Daddy's home! Daddy's home!" Arisa cried as she jumped onto the couch next to her father. If Paul was easily startled - he was thankful he wasn't - this might have made him jump, but he just looked at his daughter cooly as he said, "No jumping on the couch, Risa."

The girl whined slightly. "Aww, okay." She crawled over the cushions to climb into his lap, curling against his stomach like a kitten to its owner. "Daddy," she cooed.

His cold heart seemed to melt whe she did that, he smiled slightly as he reached a hand down to pinch her cheek slightly, making her laugh. He shook his head and picked his daughter off his lap to set her on the couch beside him. Rubbing her head he stood up, untying his tie fully as he walked into the kitchen where Dawn was cleaning dishes in the sink. He wrapped his arms around her waist and laid his chin on top of her head.

"Hi dear," she said as she set a place in the strainer next to the sink edge. She turned her head and placed a kiss on his shoulder and went back to scrubbing a pan. Her belly was growing larger with each passing week, and it was getting harder and harder for her to do chores around the house. So whenever Arisa came home from school Dawn would have her help with things like cleaning up the living room and pulling the laundry from the washer and piling it into the dryer. "How was your day at the office?"

Paul ran a hand over Dawn's abdomen absently as he rested his cheek against her soft sapphire hair. If anyone asked him he would deny it profusely, but he loved the scent of Dawn's hair. It seemed to calm him whenever he'd had a bad day at work or he was feeling stressed. Today it was the latter, his head killing him enough that he sometimes saw little dots dancing in his peripheral vision.

He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before answering her, forcing out a small, "Crappy. The boss started yelling at everyone about numbers or something." He let out a sigh, showing just how tired he was.

"Aw, my poor baby," his wife grinned, seeming to find this misfortune of him and his co-workers as amusing. "But doesn't your boss always yell at everybody for something or another almost everyday?"

"Yes. That's the problem."

Dawn laughed as she dried her hands on the dish towel she kept next to the sink. Once her hands were dry, she turned around in her husband's arms to face him, a smile lighting up her face. She leaned back against the counter edge, releasing some of the tension in her lower back. "Is there any way I can make the day less, how did you say it?"

"Crappy?" he supplied.

She laughed again. "Yes, is there any way I can make your day less crappy?"

Paul leaned in close to her, his lips a breath's away from her. He smirked at her cheeky smile. "Maybe."

Just when they were about to kiss, their moment was ruined when Arisa ran in with an excited yell. She stopped behind her parents, a curious expression as she watched her father land against the counter top, both adults sweatdropping at their daughter, even a little embarrassed that she'd almost walked in on them.

"Mommy? What's Daddy doing?" Arisa giggled as Paul ground his teeth slightly. He was wondering how he was going to be dealing with two children in a few months. God, this was going to be a busy seven months. Dawn was showing more than a bump on her slim stomach, and she was nauseous constantly.

Dawn reached up and pushed her hair away from her face with a small laugh. This child always had a bad sense of timing, she apparently got it from Dawn. But it was one thing that had to ignore sometimes. How else were they supposed to stay sane?

"Daddy's just a little stressed from work, baby girl." The blunette leaned over and balanced her hands on her knees as she looked at her daughter. "You'll know what I mean when you get a job of your own."

Arisa grinned at her mother, a gap-filled smile since she had just lost two teeth the week before. She'd been so excited about the Tooth Fairy coming, she kept both under her pillow one night thinking she'd get double the money. And boy, had she been right.

The child scampered off to play and to leave her parents alone for a little while. They took advantage of this, but not so much as where they would have needed the house empty. No, there was a kiss here, a touch there (Watch what you think, children. Nothing bad :P). But it was all sweet, something Dawn had never thought her husband would be capable of. After a few years of marriage, it turned out he could be the sweetest man ever. When he wanted to be, that is.

Seeming content after a few minutes alone together, Paul pressed his forehead to Dawn's. She smiled up at him, happy he wasn't having a bad day anymore. But her next question put an end to that. "Why don't you take some time off of work and spend the day with me and Risa tomorrow for Father's Day?" She was just trying to help, she didn't want to upset him in any way. But it had the opposite effect of what she was aiming for.

His face just seemed to just shut down, his eyes going cold and his expression becoming blank. The stress was still there, just carefully hidden away for now, until another day. He pulled stiffly away from Dawn, stuffing his hands into his pants pockets. This was an old habit of his, one that he hadn't done for a while. It made him miss his jacket from his teenage years. But barely. "Dawn, you know I can't do that. I've been working overtime for about a month now, and that has been starting to really add up lately. You know that, right?"

His wife sighed. Of course she did. With the extra money they were getting from his overtime, they were able to start putting payments down for the place where they were going to be having Arisa's birthday in August. "Yes, baby, I know. But taking a day off here and there wouldn't hurt either." She reached a hand out to touch his arm, glad when he didn't pull away from her this time. "I'm worried you're going to run yourself down to where you can't get back up."

This caused him to snort. "Yeah, sure. Dawn, you know me better then -"

But her hand flying toward his face made his voice cut off before he could finish the sentence. He visibly flinched, his eyes closing as he waited for the slap he had never even known was coming. What surprised him was that there was no impact, no feeling of pain in his cheek. Slowly, he opened his eyes to see her hand hovering beside his face, just centimeters from hitting him.

When he looked at her, he saw tears in her eyes, some all ready spilled over to roll down her cheeks. She moved both of her hands to cradle his face between them as she said, "I do know you better than that. But, Paul, if you hadn't been working so hard lately you would have been able to see that coming, You would've stopped me before I even got close to hitting you. Do you think Risa would like to see her beloved father like this, so run down he can't even react quick enough to his own wife's movements? His pregnant one at that?"

Paul managed to choke out a weak chuckle. She was right. He'd been working too hard, but it was so he could support his growing family. His wife required more rest than she had before, and he had started helping Arisa out to keep Dawn from doing too much stuff that required her to stand for a long amount of time. When she felt sick, he held her hair when she was crouched on the bathroom floor in front of the toilet, as he should as a husband (And the one who basically caused her to become like this). He cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner more often now that Dawn had to sit on the couch with her feet propped up when she wasn't feeling too well.

She'd changed him over the years. Before they'd been married, he had just been a punk kid living with his older over-bearing brother, which had just made him want to get away even more. He'd seen Dawn with her mother constantly around town, or with her friends as they laughed while walking down the street, talking about whatever it was that girls talked about with their friends. The only ones he'd been able to become close enough to were three idiots who just ignored his rude and cold behavior, treating him as one of their own.

As he reminisced about his younger days, Dawn kissed him on the cheek. Whenever he needed comfort of any sort, she had always been there for him. She said, "Please think about it. Okay?"

Paul sighed. He just never really could deny his wife most things. "I will."

* * *

The next morning, Paul felt better than he had for weeks. No getting up early, no having to be at the office before six. He didn't even have to get dress before ten. The morning was all ready turning out good for him. But old habits died hard, so he was up and out of bed before eight. Dawn was still asleep next to him and he decided to let her sleep for a little while. He wanted to go running, something he hadn't done in a long time because of work.

Running was a good past time for him, a way to get away from things and to make all his pent up energy put to work as his feet his the pavement in a continuous, steady rhythm, one that made him feel so much better and more together than he'd been in a while.

As he ran down the road, he noticed someone out in their front yard retrieving mail from their mailbox. The green hair was unmistakable to Paul, and as the distance between them lessened, he slowed to a jog, stopping next to the man. "Morning, Drew," he panted, dabbing at his face with the towel that was wrapped around his neck.

Drew looked up from the pile of bills he had been shifting through as Paul had grown closer. He grinned at his sweating friend, saying, "Morning, Paul. This is unusual." He clapped Paul on the shoulder as he said this, greeting his older friend. "I'm guessing Dawn managed to talk you into taking a few days off?"

Paul nodded, his hair sticking to his forehead. He'd need a trim soon, he pondered briefly before saying, "Yeah. I called the boss last night and asked for a week off to spend with the family." Rolling his eyes, he ran a hand through his lank purple hair in an attempt to get it away from his face. It didn't work very well, just set it sticking up in slight spiked away from his face. Fixing it, he continued. "He said go ahead, everything was under control, that he could take care of anything that I missed. But that there would be some paperwork that would probably be on my desk next Tuesday." The young man shook his head at the prospect of work that could possibly pile up while he was off of work for the week. But it would be worth it to be there for Dawn and Arisa more than he'd been able to the past few weeks.

The emerald haired man laughed, his hair shaking slightly along with him. "Then I guess you better make the best of your week off. Going to go running tomorrow too?"

Nodding, Paul tugged on his T-shirt. "I plan on it."

"Well, then I guess I'll see you tomorrow. I got to get inside before May starts yelling at me for actually doing something I shouldn't be today."

Paul chuckled and Drew started walking up his driveway back to his house. "See you later Drew."

"Yeah, see you Paul. Happy Father's Day, by the way," Drew called over his shoulder as he made it to the front door, opening it just as May started to call for him from inside.

Paul gave another nod, calling, "You too, Drew," in response as he began to run again.

* * *

When he returned home from his run around the neighborhood, Paul could smell the scent of breakfast being made in the kitchen as he walked in the front door. Still sweaty and pretty darn tired, he made his legs move toward the kitchen, his feet silent on the carpet in the living room and dining room, the quickest way to finding out what that smell was.

In the dining room, the table was set for three, silver ware and plates set out for Dawn, Arisa, and Paul, all close to each other at one end of the table, different from how they usually ate, Dawn at one end and Paul the other, Arisa circulating the chairs between the two. And when he finally made it to the doorway of the kitchen, he found what was making that delicious scent in the air. Set on the counter in the center of a porcelain plate was a pile of cinnamon rolls, a stack of golden pancakes taking the space beside them. All that was missing was the bacon and eggs.

This amazed Paul to no extent, and that was kind of hard to do. But he was still a little worn from his recent run, his body not quite used to the exercise anymore since he'd had to quit going to the gym for a while because of work. He was thinking of going back tomorrow sometime in the morning so he could spend the afternoon with his family.

When Dawn finally noticed him just standing there staring she smiled at him, a lovely flush crossing her cheeks. Wiping her hands off as she walked across the kitchen to her sweaty husband, she kissed him on the cheek. "I know what you're thinking. Bacon and eggs in the oven to keep them warm."

Dear God did he love this woman. He was so overcome he just grabbed Dawn as she turned to get back to making breakfast (He blamed it on the exhaustion from running. Yeah right.). Pulling her into a hug, he buried his face in her neck, loving the smell of her all over again. His sudden display of affection toward her caused her to burst into a fit of giggles, struggling just slightly in a playful way, knowing full well he wouldn't let go of her, nor would she be able to escape. He was just too strong to even attempt it.

"Paul," she laughed. "Come on, I have to finish breakfast." But she stopped her struggling when she felt dampness against her neck. She instantly became worried, even managing to spin around in her husband's weakening grip, holding his face in her hands. He tried to turn away, but she'd all ready seen. "Aww, Paul. Don't hide from me."

Humiliation. That was what Paul felt as he swiped an arm across his eyes. Not once had he ever shed one tear before, not when he'd fallen off his bike when he was just learning how to ride without training wheels, not when he'd broken his arm falling out of a tree. Now that he thought about it, that _had_ been a pretty stupid thing for him to do, something that rarely ever happened. But back in the present, he grumbled, "I'm not hiding anything," to his grinning wife.

The young woman laughed at her husband's stubborness. "Sweetie, you know you can show me anything. No matter how tough you think you are -" This got a glare from her husband. " - I don't think any less of you than I did the day we got married." Reaching up on her tiptoes she kissed him. Since he was a good few inches taller than her, she had to tug him down to her slightly, but he didn't mind. He was just glad his face was dry again, void of anything close to tears or sweat.

And, they swore, they wished their daughter wasn't so bad with timing. Arisa bounded into the kitchen from the hallway that led to all their bedrooms, smiling even so early in the morning. "Mommy, Daddy!"

The child rushed toward her parents, skidding to a halt just before crashing into them. She wrapped her arms around Dawn only when she saw her father, still a little sweaty and smelling like he needed a shower. "Eww! Daddy stinks!" the little eight year old cried with a smile and a little giggle as she buried her nose in her mother's nightshirt.

Oh how Dawn wished she hadn't said that. A rare grin spread across Paul's face as he looked at his daughter. Arisa knew what was coming, so she took off across the kitchen linoleum, shrieking in delight as Paul gave chase. He wasn't as tired as he'd been a few minutes ago, so he managed to keep pace with the child as she circled around into the living room and dashing through the dining room to the kitchen again, all the while crying, "Mommy, Mommy, help me!" laughing the entire time.

But the young mother just shook her head with a smile as she leaned against the doorjamb. The second time around, Paul stopped for a few moments to give his wife a kiss, then hid behind the doorway to the kitchen, pressing his side against the counter in an attempt to hide. When Arisa ran around for a third time, he reached an arm out, picking her off the ground as she shrieked with laughter and surprise at finally being caught. Paul chuckled at his daughter's behavior, holding on to her as she hugged him and managed to scramble onto his shoulders, using his head as support.

The child clapped with delight once she was seated, but when Paul started to walk back into the dining room to sit her down for dinner, she forgot how tall her father was and didn't duck her head as he passed through the doorway. She conked her head on the doorjamb, dazed slightly for a few moments until she managed to put her hands to her throbbing forehead. Paul set her down immediately, pushing her hands away to inspect her forehead. She wasn't very hurt, just a slight bump and a headache to accompany it. She was still a little young for an asprin, but she took the slight pain very well. Sniffing back tears was all she did as she went and sat at a placement at the table, surprising the heck out of her parents. They both expected crying, big wet sobs that usually paired with clinging to either of the two. But there was nothing but the slight sniffling as the child held back tears. Very well, they both noted.

Dawn and Paul carried in the plates from the kitchen and set them on the table. Dawn poured juice for her daughter, coffee for Paul and herself. The whole time during breakfast, Arisa never let out a peep, no crying, nothing. Even the sniffling was gone. She wasn't smiling, only sort of grimacing as she ate a bite of scrambled eggs and drank her juice. But both Dawn and Paul felt that their daughter had accomplished something.

Once they were finished with breakfast, Dawn knelt in front of her daughter, lifting her bangs to kiss the red spot in the middle of forehead. Arisa flinched only slightly, enough to where Dawn barely even noticed. Beside her, Paul apologized, saying he should have been more careful, that he'd forgotten he was the tallest in the house. But Arisa just smiled at her parents, saying that she was okay. This made Paul smile slightly at his daughter, saying, "I'm proud of you Risa. You're finally growing up."

This made the child's day, only a single tear slipping down her small cheek, one that wasn't even from the bump to her noggin. She'd always loved when her parents praised her. So much so that she threw her arms around both of them, pulling them close and saying, "I love you, Mommy and Daddy."

The married couple stared at each other before pulling closer to each other, responding with their own I love you too's to their eight year old. Children grew up so fast, they both realized. _God help us_, was all they could think as Arisa hugged them closer.

* * *

**A/N**: *Happy dance* Yay, now I just have to come with a chapter for the Fourth of July while I babysit my niece and nephew all next month. Whoo!

Paul: You're not very good with sarcasm.

Dawn: Paul! Enough is enough, you don't have very much longer with her in this one story.

Me: Yet there will be more. *Rubs hands together evilly*

Paul: Dear Lord, help me.

Me: Even He can not help you. Mwahahahaha! Oh yeah, I forgot. I got twenty more bucks from my dad for Florida! Whoo-hoo!

Paul: That wasn't sarcasm, right?

Me: Oh shut up all ready, would ya!

Arisa: Bye-bye until next month! Have a happy Father's Day, and give all your dads big big hugs!

Me: But even if he isn't around, you should celebrate it for him. I know most people don't have fathers out there, and I send my sympathy to everyone reading this that's one of those without one. Just know that wherever he is right now, everyone should know that no matter what, he will always love you, no matter what you've been told or think. That's the same for mothers out there, I forgot to include that last month xD Anyway -

Dawn, Arisa, me (and a begrudging Paul) : Happy Father's Day everyone! :)


	7. Fourth of July

**A/N**: Mwa ha ha, fear me! I am now steadily making my chapters longer, depending on my mood when I finish them! xD My sentences are still a little choppy in some places, but that also depends on my mood lol

Dawn: Oh, I love the Fourth of July!

Arisa: Yeah yeah! Fireworks, fireworks!

Paul: Can we just start so these two will quit yelling in my ear?

Me: They're your wife and kids. You have to deal with it at home xD

Arisa and Dawn: On with the story! :D

* * *

The perfect outfit for firework watching is always hard to find.

Dawn tossed a blouse onto the bed, her attention set on something that would feel comfortable but not make her look like she was getting on in years. Which she wasn't even close to, but a woman has delusions like these sometimes, no? But she couldn't find anything, her shirts either being too fancy or too drab for what she was searching for.

"Ugh!" she cried out in frustration. "I can't find_ anything_ in my closet!"

"That's surprising since it's so big. You'd think you could find one thing in that room you call a closet."

Dawn looked up to see her husband walking in as he straightened his tie. But she just rolled her eyes at him as she said, "Oh yeah? Says you." She went back to shuffling through the pile of tops on the bed. "A woman has to have the perfect outfit for everything, and firework watching is no exception."

Paul chuckled at his wife, eying the pile upon pile of shiny, glittery, even the occasional graphic tee sticking out somewhere. He walked over and picked a shirt out at random. It was a yellow maternity top that was thin with a pattern of flowers running across the bottom of the hem at a diagnal angle. "What about this?"

The blunette's eyes widened when she saw the shirt. "I didn't even see that." She reached out a hand and took the piece of clothing from her husband, holding it up so she could see it better. "This is perfect!" Continuing her search on the bed, Dawn managed to scrounge up a black sweater that buttoned up the front, and from their dresser she found a pair of khaki shorts that weren't short enough to be called immoral. _This is turning out better than I thought it would._

"Come on out to the living room when you're done getting changed."

Watching as he walked out, Dawn folded the clothing over her arm, frowning slightly to herself. All that was left to find now was a pair of shoes and a little jewelry. After she put all the shirts back into her closet, Dawn set her assembled outfit on the bed so she could search for some shoes on the rack that sat on the floor of the slightly smaller room that rested between Dawn and Paul's bedroom and Arisa's playroom on the other side of the wall. There were bunches of shoes lined up along each wall of the closet, be them sandal, sneaker, or boot. If it was a shoe, Dawn had it.

"Which one, which one," she mused out loud as she scanned the lines of shoes that sat in front of her. Just attempting to choose was making Dawn anxious, becoming hesitant each time her hand touched a shoe, only to return to her side as her eyes inspected each pair in turn. Black, she was thinking. She wanted a pair of black sandals to wear that night. _I guess black can be slimming for the feet as well_, she thought, relaxing enough to smile a little.

"Mommy!"

Dawn glanced behind her to see Arisa run into the bedroom. Her hair was made up into pigtails set high on either side of her head, her bangs pushed back with blue bobby pins. She was wearing a bubble dress the same shade as the pins, the size of the skirt toned down enough to where it wasn't as poofy. And so she could see her feet.

"Hi, Risa." Dawn turned from her search to face her daughter as she headed back into the bedroom. "What do you need, sweetheart?"

The eight year old grinned up at her mother, two emtpy spaces between her upper canines like blank beacons shining from her small mouth. "Aunt May dressed me up. What do you think?" She twirled around, ruffling the bunched material at the bottom of her dress, and disrupting the small bow that sat above her belly against the material just a bit.

Hearing this Dawn laughed. "I thought she was the culprit." Picking up her outfit from the bed, she went behind a folding screen in a corner of the room. She wasn't bashful about changing in front of her child, but she was getting more and more conscious of her growing belly, which was now poking out more than when she had been pregnant with Arisa. Don't even ask about Paul. Even though this was her second pregnancy, she couldn't stand the thought of him seeing her without a shirt now. Let's just say that the bathroom door was now locked whenever she was in the process of taking a shower.

"Don't you think you're dressed more for a party, or at least something more fancy than a little get together in the Haydens' yard tonight?" the young mother called over the screen as she pulled on a camisole she had grabbed before disappearing to get dressed.

The little purplette tittered at her mother's question as she hopped onto her parents' bed, making sure that she had gathered the skirt of her dress around her waist in the back to keep it from folding in on itself wrong. "Aunt May said that a way to impress a boy is to dress with style."

Dawn chuckled as she walked out from behind the screen carrying her previous clothes. Tossing them in the clothes hamper by the bathroom door, she came to sit beside Arisa on the bed. The girl smiled up at her, those two empty spots between her teeth showing that a pair of adult inscisors were pushing through her gums. "Aunt May always says that."

"Am I interrupting girl time?"

Both of them looked up to see May leaning against the doorjamb with Misty right behind her. They were both wearing jeans, May's top red and Misty's blue. When they saw Dawn with her baby bump showing through her shirt, they burst out into a fit of giggles, as she knew they would.

"Oh, ha-ha, guys." Dawn tossed her previous clothes into the clothes hamper and pulled at the hem of her shirt self-consciously. "Make fun of the pregnant lady while she's getting dressed. Real classy."

"Aw, you know we do it because we love you," May laughed as she pushed away from the doorjamb. She walked over to where Dawn stood next to the bed and lightly touched her belly. "Do you know if it's a boy or a girl yet?"

Dawn smiled at her friend, embarrassment forgotten. "We're not sure yet. I'm going in for an ultrasound in the next week or so. I kind of want to know the gender, but at the same time I kind of don't." She laughed quietly to herself.

Misty came over and said, "I was the same way when I was pregnant with Alexius. But Ash wanted to know, so I figured, what the heck. I mean, I was the one having the baby, so why not know beforehand what you need to buy, instead of getting a neutral color like yellow." She shuddered. "You don't know how much I hated when we still painted the walls in the nursery canary, even after finding out we were having a baby girl. Speaking of which."

She walked back through the doorway into the hall and headed toward the living room. While she was gone, May and Dawn chatted as they sat on either side of Arisa on the bed. There were mentions of how their marriages were going (May's just great if only Rudy wasn't almost a teenager already), how the kids were (again with Rudy being a preteen). Most of the problems were with how the kids were growing up so fast that the parents felt like it was only yesterday that they were waiting outside each other's hospital rooms while they gave birth. Misty had been out of town when she'd had Alexius, so she had to go it with only Ash with her. He was as useful as a block of wood, she'd told them.

As they were on the subject of children, Misty walked back down the hall with Alexius in tow. When May and Dawn saw the girl as she trailed behind her mother, they both squealed at the sight of her outfit. She was wearing the same kind of dress as Arisa, only it was red like May's shirt. Her hair was pulled back in a French braid that began at either temple and ran to the back of her head where they were tied together with a red ribbon. When she saw Arisa sitting on the bed, she reached out and pulled the younger girl to her feet, dancing around with her and circling Misty as she just stood there.

The mothers laughed at their daughter's enthusiasm. May just sat there and grinned as she watched the two girls clapping their hands now in anticipation. "I miss the days when Rudy was like this."

"You miss the days when Rudy acted like a little girl?" The brunette glared at Dawn. This made her change the subject. "Anybody know where Leaf is?"

Misty looked at her watch. "She should have been here by now. She called me earlier to tell me that Reese refused to wear the outfit that she'd picked out for him, saying that he was big enough to pick out his own clothes." She gave a small laugh at this. "White shirt and blue jeans, that's what she'd picked. He wanted to wear red like Alexius, but she told him that the boys had to wear white tonight."

"What did he say then?" Dawn queried, a small grin of her own on her face.

The red head rolled her eyes as she said, "He wasn't having any of it. But she told me that she finally managed to get him to put the clothes on. He just wasn't going to wear the hat."

They all laughed as they thought of the hat that Leaf had bought for the boy to wear that night. The girls looked up from their play when they heard the mothers laughing, but resumed when they figured they wouldn't get clued in.

"Hmm." Dawn stood up and walked into the master bathroom that was connected to the bedroom. It had a large mirror that sat over the twin his/her sinks. She looked at herself in the reflective glass of the mirror, spinning around a couple times to see how her clothes fit her. "I don't know about this now. Should I wear white instead of yellow?"

When she looked up she saw her friends standing in the bathroom doorway, looking at her outfit more closely now. "Well, your hair is patriotic enough for the colors, don't you think?" May said, a smile playing on her face as she teased her friend.

A tongue stuck out at her in Dawn's reflection was the brunette's answer.

So Dawn decided to change clothes. Which initiated another search for a good outfit to wear that night. It was decided that the sweater could stay, but the shirt and the khaki shorts had to be switched out for a white tee and jeans to match the other two mothers in the room. Even if they weren't in America, it was fun to just dress up in red, white, and blue on July fourth every year.

"Okay," Misty said after an exstensive search through Dawn's clothes while May helped the young, expecting mother change out of her clothes. "I _think_ I might have found something for you to wear tonight for watching the fireworks from May's yard."

"You _think_?" May walked from around the changing screen to where Misty stood in the closet, peering at shirts she held in either hand. "How hard it is to find a white shirt?"

Misty raised an eyebrow at her friend. "It depends on what you're looking for. Do you want it to be off-white, marshmallow, ricotta, meringue?"

Everybody in the room just stared at Misty. Flushing under all the eyes, she went on the defense, saying, "What? I took an art class at a community college last summer."

They all laughed at their blushing friend, then went back to searching for an outfit for Dawn. No matter how simple the entire thing seemed, they managed to make it complicated.

* * *

"Oh wow! Look Mommy!"

Arisa pointed up at the sky just as it was filled with a colorful explosion of sparks and fire. This sent the crowd on the lawn of the Haydens' into choirs of "Ooohs" and "Ahhhs". Dawn followed her daughter's finger and watched as another firework flew up into the sky to explode in a shower of purple flame that lit up the dark sky, even more so than its predecessor. She smiled and said, "They're very pretty, Risa."

The Haydens' yard was crawling with little kids and neighbors, all there so they could watch the fireworks that were being shot off in a park nearby. The view in their yard was ten times better than it was at the park itself, so some of the people in the neighborhood had grabbed their kids, some food, and carted everything over to the Haydens' yard down the street. It was so much easier than wasting gas for a ten minute drive a few blocks over.

So, as the kids ran around the yard playing games of tag or Red Rover, the parents sat and enjoyed the food and light show that went on above their heads a few streets over. There were beautiful combinations of ruby and cerulean, indigo and sapphire, emerald and scarlet, all the lights shining like colorful flowers that were bursting into flames before their eyes.

"So, who's having a great time?"

Everybody looked up to see May walking around the yard, making sure that everybody was comfortable and having fun. Rudy wasn't that far behind her, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he trailed behind his mother. All the older women were commenting on how handsome he looked, how much he looked like his father. This just made Rudy blush a deep scarlet, possibly regretting that he had even come out of the house that night. But May probably would have dragged him out sooner or later anyway.

Drew was on the opposite side of the yard, talking with Paul, Ash, and Gary, all of whom had shown up with their wives before everybody else, seeing as that it was one of their best friend's house that they were showing up to. Why not get there early and help set up? Because if they hadn't, they knew that they would have gotten an earful from each of the three (possibly even four) wives. Maybe they would have even sent to sleep on the couch that night for some reason. With Misty, Dawn, and Leaf, you just never knew.

During a break in a game of tag, Arisa and Alexius took the time to run over to their parents and ask for a drink. Dawn obliged and got the girls some punch in plastic red cups that someone had thoughtfully brought. After they drained the cups, the girls thanked Dawn and ran off again for some more games. She waved after them as they ran off, a smile on her face as she turned back to her husband. For some reason, she had found herself wandering the yard filled with people until Paul had snagged an arm around her waist and planted her beside him as he talked with the boys. She'd been standing there with him since then. She was even adding a few comments here and there in their talk, which was surprising her even more.

But just like everything, the party had to come to an end. The light show was over, the last sparks in the sky fizzing as they fell to the ground below. People started to pack up blankets and chairs they had brought for the get together, parents saying good bye to neighbors and taking their children home, the children hugging each other as their parents called for them at the street. It was especially hard for the little ones who didn't want to leave.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted." May looked up from gathering scattered cups to see Dawn and Misty helping with picking up napkins and plates of food remnants. Misty smiled at her brunette friend, a pile of trash all ready stacked in her hands.

"Yeah," she agreed, her eyes roaming the yard in search for her daughter, seeing her still playing with Arisa on the other side of the yard in the bushes beneath a small grove of trees by the side of the house. "You can say that again, May."

Dawn smiled to herself as she used a discarded cup to hold napkins she'd found on the ground. There wasn't as much trash as one would think there'd be, because the people in this neighborhood weren't exactly a messy bunch. "At least there wasn't any drinking tonight."

Laughing, Misty looked at her younger friend. "That you know of, Dawn. I thought I saw a bottle of something in the hand of Harley earlier." The other two mothers stared blankly at her. She blinked at them. "Did you not invite him, May?"

May frowned as she thought, finally saying, "I don't believe I did. But I think this was basically like an open party or something for the neighborhood to enjoy." She laughed a little to herself. "I mean, it's not everyday we can have a party like this that we enjoy, right?"

The other two agreed. When everything in the yard had been picked up and thrown away, they headed inside May and Drew's house, Dawn and Misty calling for their daughters to follow them. Inside the house, every adult collapsed onto a piece of furniture, be it couch or chair, they didn't care. They just wanted some place to rest their legs.

"Okay. Who says we not have another one of those for a while?"

Every adult in the room raised their hands tiredly, the children just laughing at their parents' weariness. With seven adults and three kids, the youngsters were outvoted. Leaf hadn't been able to make it with Reese because the boy had suddenly gotten sick, so she had sent Gary to Drew and May's to enjooy the party for all three of them. Gary had just wanted to spend a little time with the guys, but he had felt a little guilty leaving Leaf home with Reese so sick. But his wife had assured him she'd take care of it. So he'd listened to her and gone.

With May's question lingering in the air, everybody but the people who lived in the house got up to get ready to leave, comencing with the good byes and farewells and see you soons, even though they all lived down the street from each other. Every time was like that. They were just that close.

But one thing about them all was that their children had decided that they didn't want to go home. Arisa and Alexius clung to Rudy's shirt, pleading with their mothers to let them stay. Dawn was more willing than Misty, but both of their fathers didn't want to have any of it. They believed that girls shouldn't sleep over at a boy's house. But Misty and Dawn managed to persuade the two of them enough to where they said as long as they didn't have May or Drew knocking on either of their doors about their children.

So, saying good bye to both girls, the Shinjis, Ketchums, and Gary parted ways at the end of the drive way, Ash and Misty hurring off to their house, Paul and Dawn to theirs. A night without kids? Fun time for the parents. But for Gary?

When Gary got home, he found Leaf sitting on the couch with Reese sprawled out beside her, his head resting on her lap and the TV shining in the dark. Both of them were conked out, the program they had been watching long gone from the TV channel the set was turned to. Gary smiled slightly, going down the hall to the closet and pulling out some blankets for the two of them. As he was spreading a blanket over Leaf, her eyes blinked open, slow to adjust in the dark. "Gary?"

Her husband smiled down at her, leaning forward to kiss her on the forehead. "Go back to sleep, babe."

Leaf smiled. "How was the party?"

"It wasn't that bad. Nobody got drunk, and we helped set up before everybody got there."

"What about the fireworks?"

"Beautiful. But not as much as you."

Even after almost ten years of marriage, Leaf blushed at the compliment. "You were such a flatter in high school, and you still are today."

Her comment made Gary grin in the dark. "Love you too, Leaf."

She reached an arm out, and after he spread the other blanket over Reese, he sank down on the couch next to his wife. Laying her head on his shoulder, she snuggled closer to him, his arm resting around her waist as she steadily fell asleep against him. He followed soon after, his eyes blinking closed and his head falling to rest on Leaf's as they slept easily together. At least until Reese woke up and had to throw up again. Then all hell broke loose as he rushed to the bathroom.

_Why?_ both of his parents wondered as they had to listen to their son puking his guts out in the hall bathroom. _Why on a wonderful night did the boy have to get sick?_

No matter how many times they asked themselves the question, they could never get an answer. Only this: Because that's their job in life.

So true. So very, very true.

* * *

**A/N**: Um. I think I need to stop these day-before writings xD I stayed up all night to finish the last six pages of this chapter. But I think I can blame that on the three Pepsi's I drank before I started writing lol I should probably also stop doing that, I think it gives me insomnia. And a tummy and belly ache xD

So, while you read my newest chapter, I just might be sleeping in my bed, knocked out from and overdone sugar rush from an O.D. of soda. Hehe, _me gustan los refrescos_ xD

Paul: O.D. from drinking too much soda?

Me: Better than putting my cells might explode from drinking too much liquid in under a time span two hours.

Shinjis: ...?

Me: Human Anatomy & Physiology. Better than cable.


	8. Bonus: Arisa's Birthday

**A/N**: This is something that took me so long to write for some reason. I said I'd promise to post chapters a day before their meant to be, so let's just say that Arisa's birthday is at the end of the month, shall we? XD

* * *

It had to be bad luck, that could be the only explination for it to be raining on Arisa's ninth birthday. The girl didn't seem to mind though, she was having too much fun singing karaoke with Alexius.

"This one next, this one next!" the purplette cried, holding out a CD to her mother.

Smiling, Dawn looked at the CD. "You've been watching anime again, haven't you? When did your father burn this for you?"

Arisa grinned at Dawn. "Last night when Lexi and I were choosing songs for today."

Dawn shook her head. She had to admit, she couldn't deny the girl anything in her cute little dress. "I'll go pop this in the stereo, you and Alex go stand on the stage." They'd rented a karaoke room for the day, and the employees had been nice enough to provide a small stage for the little kids who wanted to sing.

Mumbling to herself, Dawn tried to figure out where the ejection button for the stereo was. The songs they'd played previously were in a computer system that played when a certain button was pushed. But it was a different story for CDs. "Where is that darned button? We need to upgrade that stereo at home, I swear," she grumbled, pressing random buttons now.

"Must you make a fool of yourself at our daughter's party?"

Dawn looked up at the sound of her husband's voice. She frowned at him. "Oh shut up, Paul, and help me find the ejection button for this thing. It's so different from yours."

Paul shook his head and took the CD from his wife's hand. Skimming over the buttons on the cursed little box that was supposed to take personal discs like the attendant had said, he found the correct one after a moment or two.

"Dumb luck," Dawn muttered as he insterted the CD.

He smirked at her. "No, that's just called being up to date with technology."

Dawn started to reply with something in retaliation, but a call from Arisa across the room grabbed their attention before an argument broke out between the two of them. "Mommy, number one! It's number one!" She'd apparently seen Paul's electronic prowess moments ago.

Face flushing - and after looking for an instant across the buttons - Dawn hit the play button. The sounds of drums and a guitar drifted from the speakers above the children's heads, causing some squealing among the girls gathered at the foot of the stage. They began to chant "Risa! Lexi! Risa! Lexi!" over and over again until the two began to sing.

"_I'm going to be a Rock'n Roll Princess! Groove to the rock spirit!_" Alexius sang, holding the microphone close to her mouth so it could pick up the words she carolled. "_Rock on, you rock star! Just shout out with love!_"

During the short instrumental, Alexius tossed the mic to Arisa, who strode over and stood with a hand on her hip and feet spread. The younger girl sang along to the words she'd taken all night to learn. But oh, she thought, it was so worth it.

"_Hello. That's the signal our high school days are starting. I'll raise my hand in class like I always do._" Arisa hopped off the stage, walking through the little path made by the children around her. She leaned forward, a hand on her knee, and sang to a girl smaller than her, maybe three or four._ "Good night. That's the signal to talk to my teddy bear. With my heart full of love, I'll make my promise to the starry sky._"

The girl smiled at her, her face lighting up at the words "teddy bear" and "starry sky." Grinning, she lightly tapped the little girl's nose and winked at her, continuing to move down the small child-made aisle and sing. "_In these polka dot and checkered pants covered with patches …_" She spun around, facing the stage again. All eyes were on her. " … _I walk with uneven steps and do the Cool Step!_"

"_I'm going to be a Rock'n Roll Princess! Groove to the Rock Spirit!_" Everybody looked to the front of the room where the stage was. Alexius stood there with a second mic, grinning from ear to ear. While everyone had been watching Arisa, she'd gone back to the middle of the stage, mic in hand, and when Arisa had turned around, that was her signal to start the end. "_Sparkle on! Oh, Rock Princess! Give a shout of revival!_"

Before the last line of the song, Arisa had jumped back onto the stage, landing to stand back to back with Alexius, their arms crossed, the mics still held to their mouths.

Their song short and sweet, everyone had loved it. The children at the foot of the stage cheered for the two girls as they bowed with huge smiles on their faces. Their hands clasped together, they raised their arms in the air and took one more bow before hopping off the stage and racing over to their mothers.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Arisa cried as she wrapped her arms around Dawn's waist. "Did you see us up there?"

"How couldn't I see you two?" her mother laughed. "The both of you were the center of attention." She reached up and held Arisa's face in her hands. Leaning over, she kissed the girl on the forehead, causing the little purplette to giggle at her mother's expression of affection. When the girl saw her father, Arisa smiled at her mother once more before running to him.

"Daddy!" she cried when he lifted her into his arms. She wrapped her arms lovingly around his neck, simultaneously cutting off his air way for a few moments until he managed to cough out a "Risa, I can't breathe."

With a giggle she released her hold enough to where she was gripping his hair slightly, tugging on it in her playful way. "Daddy," she cooed as she snuggled against him.

His face slightly red from her affection, Paul smiled slightly as he held his daughter close. When he looked up he saw Dawn smiling softly at the both of them. This made him turn even redder for some reason, which just made Dawn laugh. She made her way to her daughter, whispering, "Risa, do you know what time it is?"

The little purplette looked at her with bright blue eyes. "What Mommy?"

"Cake time!"

"Yay!" Arisa jumped from her father to her awaiting mother. This was something normal, either one parent would say something to excite the child and she would jump from one to the other's waiting arms.

"We're really going to have to get you out of the habit of that," Dawn muttered as she carried Arisa back to the front of the room where all the little children were gathered. Arisa just giggled into her mother's hair.

"All right, everybody!" Dawn called across the chorus of giggles from the kids gathered in the room. "It's cake time!"

All the children cheered in a chorus of "Yays!" that almost mimicked Arisa's. The birthday girl sat at the head of the table, as she should, her parents on either side of her. Paul and a couple other parents helped with the distribution of paper plates as Dawn stood off to the side lighting the candles over the chocolate birthday cake. The lights were flicked off, and Dawn began to walk back to the table, the cake in her hands and a smile on her face. Everybody was silent as she set the bakery item in front of her daughter. It was aglow with nine candles, eight of them were blue and one purple. The blue ones formed the shape of a fish, and one lone purple candle made the eye.

"Oh my gosh, Mommy, Daddy, I love it!" Arisa looked up at beth her parents in turn with a huge smile on her face. All the lights were off, but it was like the child was a beacon anyone could see shining in the dark.

Behind Dawn, the door to the karaoke room opened silently, another guest arriving rather late. They shut the door just as quietly as they'd opened it and moved to stand behind the young mother. Placing a hand on her shoulder - and startling her half to death - Dawn looked behind her to see a smile accompanied by her own mother.

"Mom," she said softly. Hugs were exchanged, silently, to keep from catching the kids' attention as Arisa shut her eyes and made her wish. As she blew out her candles, small wisps of smoke flew from all but two: the lonely purple and a blue one that sat parallel, right in the middle of the tail of the candle fish. The look of disappointment on the girl's face was almost heart breaking as all stared at the still-flickering little torch. Tears came to her eyes when she saw they weren't going to go out. But when she realized what she was doing, she sniffed a couple times and wiped her eyes, hoping nobody would see. But beside her, Dawn and Johanna managed to catch an unfortunate glance at the sad expression on her face.

"So glad you could make it," Dawn said softly to her mother. "How come you were so late? You missed Risa's performance with Lexi earlier."

The older woman heaved a quiet but heavy sigh. "Financial issues at work. They've been having to fire so many people, or cut the rest of our pays. It's really hard on all of us. My back and wrists have been acting up again from having to be in front of that teller's desk all day at the bank."

The lights flicked back on. Everyone had to blink as their eyes adjusted back to the brightness that shined from the fluorescent lights. Dawn was about to say something to her mother but had to hold on to it for later when she felt a tug on the hem of her shirt. Looking down she saw her daughter holding her shirt and pointing at the cake candles at the same time. "They didn't go out, Mommy," she said, referring to the two that blazed lively in the chocolate icing.

With a small smile, Dawn pressed a hand to her mother's upper arm, giving her a look that said they would talk about it later, then leaned over to talk with her first born. "I'm sorry, honey. Here, why don't you, me, and Daddy blow them out?"

Arisa's small frown was replaced with a smile once more. Holding on to both their hands, Arisa leaned forward with her parents, and, simultaneously, blew out the two remaining candles. Having shut her eyes to make another wish, Arisa opened them to smile at both her parents.

"What'd you wish for, honey?"

Looking behind Dawn, Arisa finally saw her grandmother, and with a "Grandma, you came!" she shot towards the older woman and almost tackled her with a hug. But Johanna managed to keep her feet beneath her and hold onto the child without crashing into a wall. It did knock the wind out of her, though. "I thought you'd never get here!"

Johanna gave a hearty laugh at her grandchild's cheerful attitude. In this way she was the spitting image of Dawn. "Dear, I wouldn't miss this for the world. I was just having a little trouble at work." Arisa just hugged her grandmother harder. Anyone watching could have sworn they heard bones popping in the poor woman's back.

Dawn reached down and gently removed her daughter's iron grip from around Johanna. She tugged the girl over toward the presents that were piled at the end of the table. "We can all talk about everything after you open your presents, all right?"

You didn't have to tell Arisa that twice. The girl was all for it, but a ringing from the wall caught the attention of everybody in the room. Every person in the room stopped all talking and stared at the phone that was attached to the wall next to the door. Paul apologized to the guests and went to answer it. Dawn stood with Arisa and her mother while Paul talked to the worker at the front desk.

After he'd hung up the phone, Paul announced that the worker had said that their time was up, and that they were unable to finish the party. Children throughout the room began to complain that they wanted to stay, but their parents all said that when the worker at the front desk said your time was up, your time was up. So everyone gathered up their trash, parents took their fretful children by the hand and helped lead each other out, and Dawn, Paul, and Johanna gathered up all of Arisa's presents.

On the way out the door, Dawn leaned down toward her daughter, balancing the presents precariously in both hands. She said softly, "What did you wish for the first time, baby?"

Arisa looked behind her at her father and maternal grandmother, then at her young mother beside her. Dawn wore a curious expression, wanting to know what it was since it didn't come true. But then the little purplette just smiled her gap-toothed smile and said, "It's a secret, Mommy," as she pressed her cheek to her mother's swollen belly.

* * *

**A/N**: Good grief. This isn't one I specifically proud of, but I'll upload it anyway. The song Rock'n Roll Princess is by the band The Scanty, and is the translated version of the second opening to _Full Moon O Sagashite_. I thought the song was perfect for the beginning lol

Anyway, please tell me what you like about this chapter, and what I may be able to do to help with my writing in the future. And also, I won't have Internet for a while, but I will be working on my other stories, however many there may be at this time xD _Chau._


	9. Halloween Special

**A/N**: I am _soooo_ sorry this is almost two days late! I've just had so much crap going on these past few weeks that I haven't been able to update anything but my dA account on DeviantArt. So, sorry x

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of this except the Original Characters, meaning the children.**

0 0 0 0 0

"I say this pumpkin should go here."

"Well, I say it could go here."

May's eyes glared out from beneath the fringe of her bangs, sparks in her eyes as annoyance flared in her chest. "Drew, this is my house. Mom may have said it was cool for you to help me decorate while they went to a friend's Halloween party in the next town over, but that doesn't mean you get to dictate where and how I put these pumpkins on my front porch."

A laugh managed its way out of Drew as he twisted the pumpkin he was holding in his hands around to look at it, the ridges of the skin rubbing his palms. Earlier that afternoon, May's mother had asked the boy to keep her only daughter company while they were out of town that night. Both Caroline and Norman knew there were some difficulties between the two of them, but they couldn't really leave the girl alone to watch her little brother. Everyone on the block knew the girl had a small attention span when something exiting was happening, and Halloween was no exception. She had to be watched _especially_ careful so she wouldn't leave Max when she escorted him while he trick-or-treated.

"Yes, well, last I knew, this was a free country. There's nothing wrong with me helping out at a friend's house, now is there?"

_Friend._ He'd called her his friend. Back when they'd first met, she would have been delighted to hear this, but now it just made her sad. He thought nothing more of her than as a _friend_.

Her heart in her throat now, she decided to just go with what he had been saying, ignoring what he was starting to say now, and set the emptied out squash-like fruit on the top step of the porch. With his hands empty now, Drew had nothing else to do but watch her as she twisted the top off. She picked the lighter up off the banister and flicked the catch. The flame sparked immediately, glowing slightly in the growing darkness of twilight around them. Trick or treaters were going to be showing up soon, but there was going to be nobody in the house to hand candy out.

She held the flame to the wick of the candle, waiting until it began to flicker slightly with new light. Then she tilted it to the side slightly with it angled over the opened pumpkin, letting melted wax drip from the tip. When enough wax had gethered she pressed the candle's base into the small puddle, securing it to the inside of the pumkin. "There is when the neighbors get the wrong idea."

The boy scoffed at her, raising an eyebrow at her in surprise. "Since when did your neighbors care that a guy who's your friend is hanging out at your house while your parents … Okay, I see your point."

Satisfied that he'd realized her point, she closed the pumpkin back up, making sure the edges sealed up _just_ right. Now all she had to do was pour the four bags of mixed candy that her parents had bought a few days before into the orange punch bowl that lay dormant somewhere in the cupboards. But before that, she stood up, wiping any pumpkin guts that had managed to escape the plastic spoon they'd used earlier to clean it out on her jeans. This stuff is so gross, she thought absently as she headed back inside the house.

Drew caught the screen door as he followed behind her, stepping away toward the couch when she headed for the kitchen to search for that punch bowl. The boy situated himself on the furniture while he waited on May. His eyes wandered the room, taking in the fake cobwebs and the paper spiders; the small, baby-like pumpkins stacked just about everywhere.

May coming back into the room pulled him from his castle in the air, his eyes finding her as she walked outside with the punch bowl, then returning momentarily to grab the four candy bags that sat on the kitchen counter. "Need some help?" he called through the open front door.

There was a slight bang and a curse uttered. The sound of candy scattering across the front porch. Drew took this as a yes, so with a slight sigh, he stood, making his way out the front door. There he found May on her knees, picking up bits of candy and tossing them into the bowl. Thank goodness companies wrapped pieces of candy before selling them. At least half a bag of candy would have been wasted.

"I'm guessing your hand slipped?"

She glared at him out of the corner of her eyes, a warning in them that Drew didn't miss. "Stop the smart assing and help me. You said you wanted to be useful."

Drew drops to his knees with a slight laugh, beginning to help May with the clean up. "I meant with decorations. You know, where the pumpkins could go, putting things up last minute." _Not picking up your mess_, he added silently. Inside, he didn't really mind that he was helping pick candy pieces off the floor of the girl's front porch. But just like any other guy with an image to uphold, he had to act like a jerk about most things. Not everything, though. "Tell you what. Dawn's having a Halloween party tonight. I'll go with you if you pick out the costumes."

Silence, except for the sound of candy wrappers crinkling against the bowl. Her behavior had turned curious. He looked up at her when she dropped a small Tootsie Roll from her hand. She picked it back up slowly.

"You're serious?"

He stared at her for a moment as she rolled the little chocolate between her slim fingers, as if contemplating whether to eat it or not. But he knew she was on a strict no-candy diet for the night, because they both knew she'd pig out on all the chocolate and gum balls they'd get at Dawn's party; so she'd sworn to keep away from the sweets that night. But there was no guarantee about the next day. She put the Tootsie Roll back.

"Yes." He saw her glance at him out of the corner of her eye. "I won't make it a date. Imagine how awkward that would make it." Did he just see a frown on her face, or was it just him?

"Yeah." With the last candy piece in hand, she looked at the small wrapper before tossing it into the full bowl. "Awkward."

Their task completed they stood, silence surrounding them like a suffocating blanket. Drew lifted a corner by saying, "Dawn's party doesn't start until nine, so I'll come back around eight. That good with you?"

But the blanket just folded around them again, the air heavy without words coming from the teenagers. Drew was about to just get up and go home, but then he noticed May raise a hand in his direction. When she realized this, she immediately pulled it back, holding both to her , timidly - and so out of her character that it startled Drew - she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and in a small voice she said, "Really?"

For some reason Drew's face began to flush. He thought hazily that something had to be wrong with him for his face to be burning this hot. Maybe he was coming down with something? He put that thought away for now, instead focusing on what to answer with. "Y-yeah," he managed to stumble.

Then the weirdest thing happened. If Drew ever made a mistake (which he rarely ever did, at least around May), usually May would taunt him for it. But this time, nothing. Not a word. Just a small smile; a nod of the head. Then she was heading back inside the house with only a slight shuffling sound produced by her socks. This left him alone on the front porch in the growing darkness. Since it was more than a month into fall, the days had grown shorter, the days ending earlier. A small wind blew from town and Drew pulled his coat tighter around him, his hands stuffed in his pockets. With a slight glance back toward the door, he stepped down from the porch and headed home.

0 0 0 0 0

Later that night in his living room, Drew stared into the mirror May held up for him. He turned his head from side to side, looking up and down the light weight full length mirror in May's hands. He still couldn't believe he was doing this.

"May. Did you seriously pick this out for me to wear to Dawn's party tonight?"

In response she laughed, setting the mirror against the hall doorway. After making sure that it wouldn't fall over she looked back over to him. In the outfit she'd gotten him to wear, she just couldn't stop a fit of giggles from coming up every now and then.

"Yes, Drew. Completely necessary," she giggled.

Drew stood there, his arms crossed over his black shirt. His pants and shoes were black as well, as she couldn't really figure out what else to put him in without making him look girly. Well, almost. Around his shoulders she had tied a bright red cloak made of light material. She'd had to run over to Dawn's house really quickly to borrow the cloak and her costume as well.

So with a small smile she leaned against the wall, mimicking Drew's stubborn stance. Her hands were clad in furry gloves, the ends of the fingers pointed with faux claws. But they'd still hurt if May scratched someone. The small red marks on Drew's face were proof enough.

"What's so wrong with a little switch with Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, hm, Drew?" She loved to tease him so. It was like he was just wanting it. Even Drew had to be enjoying her costume. From Dawn's closet of many costumes she had picked out some more risque than what she'd usually wear, but tonight was special. On her hands she wore the gloves, and on her feet she wore a pair of furry boots the reached about mid-calf. Now Drew appreciated the view her outfit gave him, but he'd never mention it out loud. He liked to live.

"Are you sure you're supposed to be the Big Bad Wolf? You look more like you're going out for a Halloween edition of Playboy." Well, he had to at least point it out. He looked at her one more time before she finally threw something at him.

"Sh-shut up, Drew!" May stood straight now in her little outfit, embarrassed beyond belief since he'd pointed it out. She had to admit though, the costume from Dawn _was_ a little revealing. All she wore was a fuzzy sleeveless top that stopped right above her stomach, with a matching pair of equally fuzzy shorts. These she pulled at self-consciously as she kicked lightly in Drew's direction. She didn't necessarily mind that he'd noticed, she was just a little embarrassed either way. "Can we just go now?

Bowing from the waist, Drew swept an arm to the side in a mock gentlemanly gesture to May. "Allow me to escort you this All Hallow's ball hosted by your dear friend Dawn," he spoke, drawling just slightly enough in an attempt to make sound alluring. At least he hoped it did.

It seemed to work since May began to giggle nervously at his cheesiness. But to hide this, she covered her mouth and attempted to turn the titter into a cough. Didn't work very well, but hey, she tried. While May tried to cover up her embarrassment, Drew waited in the living room while she went to fetch Max. They were going to drop him off at Reggie's house while they went to Dawn's. Thank goodness she'd thought to ask him a couple weeks ago while Paul wasn't in the house. She just hoped he'd be there so Dawn wouldn't be crushed.

0 0 0 0 0

Lights seemed to be exploding through the glass at the top of Dawn's front door. The two teenagers looked at each other in bewilderment. Neither of them knew that the little blunette would go _this_ far out. Drew raised a hand to knock on the solid wood. But it opened right from under his hand, showing Dawn standing there, all primped in all her glory.

"Hey guys!" she chirped, her pigtails bouncing as she did so herself. She pushed her bangs to the side as she stepped back from the doorway to allow them entrance. "Come on in, this party's been rocking for the past ten minutes, but I bet it'll be better since you two have shown up!" She smiled and grabbed the hand of each of them, pulling them inside instead. "Come on!"

If they had thought that the lights were bright through the windows, then they were ten times as dazzling once they were through the door. Strobe lights were set up on shelves; Christmas lights were hung around the windows and doorframes; little pumpkins aere set up on almost every surface in the room. Except the refreshment table, where there were plates of caramel apples, pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies, candy apples; even the punch was orange in a bowl shaped like a pumpkin.

"Wow, Dawn," May said as her eyes roamed the room. "You've set the place up … nice," she added lamely, trying not to damage the look of self-pride on her friend's place.

Dawn giggled and stepped back lightly a few steps. "Thanks May. Sorry to leave you two so soon, but I gotta go make sure Ash doesn't up end the punch bowl."

They all gave a little laugh and Dawn bounded away to take care of the other guests. Now alone (sort of), they stood there a little awkwardly. Drew coughed lightly and May toed at the ground with her boot.

"Ahem."

Drew glanced at May out of the corner of his eye as she cleared her throat. "Um, I'm going to go get punch." She pointed a fuzzy finger at the refreshment table near the windows. "You want any?"

The thought of it was nice, but he declined with a swift shake of his head. She nodded hers then set off through the crowd. It wasn't that hard. The throng of people was small since the party had been going on for only about twenty minutes, but people were showing up by the second, constant knocks and door bell rings going off every few seconds to minutes. This she ignored as she looked across the sweets on the table, her eyes lingering over the caramel apples. She rubbed lightly at her eyes to try and get rid of the sweet brown covered fruit from her mind, but it was _so_ hard. Maybe later.

With her teeth gritted, she reached out and lifted a ladle full of punch over her cup and set to fill it. For the next few minutes she stood there leaned against the wall beside the table, watching as people filled her best friend's living room.

_Maybe this'll turn out to be a good idea_, she thought. She finished off her punch and tossed the cup into the trash. Then she set to looking for Drew again. Not that she wanted to be around him, she just wanted somebody to keep her company while Dawn ran around playing hostess, or at least until she could figure out where Misty and Leaf were. _Now where did he …_ He'd been leaning against a wall somewhere near the front door to watch people as they floated by, but he wasn't there anymore. She searched further until she spotted him in the area that had apparently been designated as the dance floor. She had no idea why he would be there, he didn't -

That was when she saw her. They were in a corner where the lights weren't set to blinking so fast and they were slow dancing to the song that was playing overhead from the stereo system. She had her hands laced behind his neck, her forehead resting against his shoulder. His were at her waist at a respectible spot, but still looking intimate from anyone else. It would have looked like they were into the song except both their eyes were roving the room, hers peering out from under the fringe that was her thick bangs and his over the top of her head. Almost at the same time they stopped, landing on somewhere May didn't know and didn't care about. All she could do was just escape out into the hallway, tears pricking the back of her eyes as she realized what she'd just seen.

Pulling off her left glove and holding it in her left, she looked out through the hallway doorjamb, her eyes catching on Drew and the mysterious girl again. The girl's hair was a few shades darker than May's, but she was a little taller, the top of her head reaching up to Drew's chin, while May's only came to the top of his shoulder. She was dressed as a gypsy, golden bangles on each wrist; she was even bare foot. But she probably had sandals laying around the living room somewhere.

She didn't know how long she'd been standing there staring at them until she found that the girl was looking directly at her over Drew's shoulder. May blinked a couple times then pulled out of view back into the dark hallway. Thoughts were running rampant through her mind: Did the girl see her staring? Had she been staring at them so obviously? Was is that obvioust that she liked Drew?

May wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand, her furry glove clenched tightly in the other. She knew it had been a bad idea to come to Dawn's Halloween party, but she just kept denying it whenever she thought of how well thought out she'd picked her and Drew's costumes when he'd said that he didn't mind if she chose them. All that night she knew he didn't have to pay any attention to her, but it still hurt when she saw him slow dancing with that brunette in the corner.

_Why did I even try?_ she thought to herself as she pulled the other glove off._ It's not worth it anymore._ She kicked off her fur-trimmed boots, holding them in one hand and her gloves in the other as she weaved her way through the crowd that had cramped themselves in the blunette's living room. People glanced at her as she passed by, a couple even tried to keep her from leaving. But all she wanted right then and there was to go home, change into her favorite pair of sweats, and just eat a whole pint of Haagen-Dazs cookies and cream. She felt that bad about the night.

"Excuse me," a voice called. "Excuse me - Could you _please_ move! Hey, are you May Maple?"

Unreluctantly May turned when she heard her name called across the room. She had never heard the voice before, but she knew who it probably belonged to either way. And sure enough, attempting to squeeze through the crowd was the mysterious girl who'd been dancing with Drew. Her long hair was a little dishevled from maneuvering through the many people that had gathered in the living room. Or maybe that was how her hair was styled, her slightly layered curls falling lightly in front of and behind her shoulders. The ends caught slightly through her golden hoop earring, this she fixed by running a hand through her hair and twisting it around on top of her head, securing it with a hair band she retreived from her wrist.

Once she'd gone through putting her hair up and fixing her loose shirt, she finally looked up at May. Now that she got a better look at the girl, there wasn't really anything so bad about her. There was a smattering of freckles across her nose and cheekbones. She'd obviously been outside a lot, and her eyes shone a bright green in the low lights. When she smiled slightly, there was a dimple on her right cheek, and a little quarter moon mark at the top edge of her cheek bone became more obvious.

"Hi," she said. "My name's Jolene." She looked more closely at May. "You're May Maple, correct?" There was a slight southern accent to the way she talked, making it obvious that she wasn't from the immediate area.

"Uh, yes." May shifted her feet uneasily on the cold carpet. She looked away from Jolene and over her shoulder. "I'm May Maple."

Jolene smiled at her. "Looking for Drew?"

May's face burned in embarrassment as she toed at the carpet with her big toe. Looking down at it she stared at the red nail polish that she had applied earlier that night in preparation for the party. Now she kind of wished that her toe nails were a different color. Maybe blue.

"Hello?"

May jumped back about a foot in surprise. She hadn't heard Jolene calling her name until she'd finally tuned back to the present. The other girl was standing there and looking at her curiously. She didn't say anything when she saw that May was listening to her again, only smiling slightly.

"Here, come with me," she said. "I'm pretty sure there are some things you want explained to you."

_You took the words right out of my mouth, sister_, May thought as she followed Jolene through the crowd.

0 0 0 0 0

"As you can see, it's all been a misunderstanding. Hello? May?"

May looked up from where she leaned against the wall. They were back in the hallway where she had hidden out not too long ago that night. The light was kept off, so she couldn't really see the expressions very well on Jolene and Drew's faces as they tried to explain the situation to her.

Apparently their slow dance had been a set up to make Jolene's boyfriend jealous. She'd texted Drew one day that she needed the help of a cute high school boy to do the trick. They'd been friends for a while, since late elementary school, and they had still kept in touch after she'd moved back to the States a couple years ago, before high school started. She was back for the last few months of the year to finish the last part of her foreign exchange program she had going on at her school at the moment. She'd just arrived a couple days before and she'd let Drew know early on that she had been coming. When she'd said that her boyfriend wasn't paying enough attention to her, he helped on the side lines to convince him to fly across the Atlantic to meet up with her.

He'd been invited to Dawn's party as Jolene's guest, and he was due any time. So Drew and Jolene had slow danced just in case he showed up earlier than what they'd thought. But he hadn't arrived yet. They were still in the middle talking to May when they heard Dawn calling for Jolene. He was there.

Jolene began to freak then. What would he do seeing her with another boy? He'd never forgive her if he thought she was cheating on him! But Drew stayed calm, patting his friend on the shoulder to console her. May even held out her hand to the girl, clasping Jolene's fingers between hers and wishing her luck.

The tears that had begun to form in Jolene's eyes disappeared as she blinked them away, straightening her back and pushing her chest out - like she even needed to, it wasn't very hard to tell she had one - in a form of confidence. With a nod to May she headed back into the living room with Drew right behind her. Before he went through the doorway he looked back at May, reaching out a hand to May like she had to the other girl. He squeezed her fingers lightly and said, "Thanks for understanding."

May's face blushed furiously, and she was glad that the hallway was dark or she would have been even more mortified. She gave him a perceptible nod and he walked off. May stayed there for a little bit, the coolness of the dark hallway comforting her slightly. It was only when she heard slight shouts that she began to worry. They were getting louder, and she soon realized that the voices that were the main focus of the small fight that was going on in the living room was heading for her hallway.

She moved back from the doorway and through it rushed Jolene, Drew, and a boy with light brown skin and dark hair. Jolene and the new boy were arguing very loudly, so Drew shut the hallway door behind them. From the bits and pieces she caught from their little tiff, Jolene had had enough of being on the side lines while she heard about his coworkers flirting with him while he worked. They were teenagers, and these girls were probably in their early twenties. This apparently made Jolene very peeved.

But the boy yelled right back. He said he was tired of her not listening to him when he said that all he wanted was for her to be safe, not fly across the Atlantic just for a school program. Her reply was this: "I want to take my school life seriously, you unlistening jackass!"

May couldn't believe what she was hearing. There was so much swearing and yelling, mostly coming from Jolene because the girl was on a roll. Tears were streaming down her face as she told her boyfriend that she felt like she was being used as a tool, like she was his puppet doll. Nobody pulled her strings, she said.

The boy just let her yell it out for a while, crossing his arms and just glaring at her as she went at it. May and Drew watched from a safe distance away, the little brunette huddling closely to Drew. She was growing worried that the boy may lash out at the girl in anger, but soon it grew apparent that his bottled anger was reaching full. After a few minutes of her ranting, he yelled, "ENOUGH!" to get her to stop.

And boy did she stop. She took a step back from him, her tears frozen on her face an sniffling as she tried to control her crying. The boy looked at her disdainfully, but soon sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Come here, Jolene," he said.

But she shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself, as if to protect herself from his words. So he reached out and, ignoring when she flinched as he grabbed her wrist, pulled her gently toward him. He wrapped his arms around her form which seemed so small now compared to him. He didn't appear to be a big guy, he was just tall, so he pretty much dwarfed Jolene. Maybe even Drew if they stood next to each other.

She didn't worry about that right at the moment though, instead looking up at Drew. A slight smile lit his face as he watched the boy lean back against a wall, holding Jolene close as she began to cry again. Maybe this was what Drew had seen happening the whole time. There was a little more fighting than what she would have liked to see, but maybe May had kind of wanting this too.

"Is she going to be okay?" she whispered to Drew. She glanced over at the couple as the boy kissed Jolene on the forehead in comfort.

In response Drew wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pressing his face into her hair. "Yeah, this is normal," he responded. "This may have been a little more chaotic than what I would have liked, but it at least worked." He glanced at the two. Jolene was crying again, but not because she was scared or sad. He didn't really know why. "Hey, why don't we leave them to themselves rightnow? Come on.

He tugged open the hallway door and pulled May through it and back into the living room. It was like they hadn't even left. People glanced at them as they came out of the hallway, but the didn't do anything about it, they just went back to dancing. Drew helped May weave through the crowd back toward the door. Dawn met them half way, asking if everything with Jolene went okay. Drew explained to her and the girl nodded along as she listened.

"I hope they're okay," Dawn said as she bit lightly on her thumb nail.

But Drew just nodded, reassuring her that they were, no matter how bad the fight sounded. They made their goodbyes, saying that the events of the night were enough for them. As they went out the door, May looked back over the crowd. From the hall doorway she could see Jolene and her boyfriend rejoining the festivities. There was a smile on her face and when she caught May's eye, she waved wildly at the other girl. From across the room she mouthed the words "Thank you" to May. May just smiled and waved back.

Outside the air had grown chilly. May wrapped her arms around herself, wishing that she'd at least brought a jacket. She began to shiver, starting a little when she felt something draped over her shoulders. Looking up she saw that Drew had wrapped his cloak around her. The material was a little heavier than what she'd first thought it was, and covered her entirely to her feet. She wrapped it tighter around her, blocking the cold wind that blew down the street. She'd pulled her boots back on, and she was grateful for this as they walked down the pebbly sidewalk toward the Shinji house a few minutes away to pick up Max.

"Sorry that you had to see all that." Drew winced as the wind blew straight into her face and his hair blew wildly around his face. "I knew that their relationship could be tense, but I didn't know to that degree."

May just shook her head. "No, I'm glad I could help a little. I just wish it didn't feel like I had been used as a pawn in all this." She meant having to see Drew and Jolene dance while they watched for her boyfriend in the crowd.

Drew grimaced. "Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't know you'd seen us dancing."

"Well, it kinda got to me a little, I mean who wouldn't be jealous?"

He grinned at this. "Why Miss Maple, I never knew you thought ofme that way."

May blushed furiously. "Well …"

They had stopped walking a few minutes ago, and now Drew turned toward May as she huddled further into the cloak, like a little blue-eyed hermit crab. He ducked down to her height, grinning from ear to ear as he brought his face close to hers. "May, what aren't you telling me?"

She pulled a little away from his, ducking her head in embarrassment. Drew reached out and wrapped an arm around the girl's waist. She was obviously cold, and he also wanted to do it, to just touch her. He brought her closer to him, wrapping her in his arms and holding her. The shivers that had shaken her entire body began to cease and she huddled closer to him, even though in her head she was screaming to not give in. She ignored this little voice and pushed it to the back of her mind. Chewing on the inside of her cheek she pressed her forehead against his dark shirt. She could feel his heart beat when she closed her eyes.

"May?" he said softly.

She looked up at him, the street light sparking off her eyes as she looked at his handsome face. She could feel almost a … magnetic pull between them. Slowly she rose on her toes and -

0 0 0 0 0

"That is not how it happened!" May looked at her husband. He sat next to her with the cheekiest grin she'd seen in their eleven year marriage. "Drew Hayden, you better quit lying to our friends."

They were at Dawn and Paul's house. Gathered on the floor were Ash and Misty, even Alexius, but she was asleep, cradled in her mother's arms, tired out from so much trick or treating. Leaf and Gary sat not too far in the armchair that sat perpendicular to the couch where Dawn sat in Paul's lap beside the Haydens, Dawn resting her head on Paul's shoulder as she listened to Drew's story. She'd had that party almost thirteen years ago, but she'd never really known what had happened between the Hayden couple till they gathered that Halloween night thirteen years later.

When May interrupted her husband's story her friend's laughed. The relationship that had formed between them hadn't began that night like Drew was trying to imply. But he could try and fool them.

"You're so full of it, Drew," Paul smirked.

"I can't say that I disagree with him, dude," Ash laughed.

Drew just laughed as he sat back against the back of the couch. He reached an arm across his wife's shoulders, pulling her closer, like how he'd said he did in his story. But after May's little interjection, they probably knew that almost all of what he'd said was just a load of malarky. May pulled away from her husband, shoving him lightly.

"You can't say I didn't try," he laughed, tugging on May's long hair.

Everyone laughed when May pushed him off the couch, landing in a pile on the floor at the feet of Gary.

"Drew, you really gotta quit that. Teasing your wife isn't the best way out of anything," Gary pointed out, reaching down to help his friend up.

Drew just swatted his hand away half-heartedly, crawling to his feet again and sitting on the couch next to wife. She poked his cheek with a little grin of her own. When he grumbled to himself she planted a kiss on his cheek, bringing his own smile back.

"Mommy?"

They all looked behind the couch toward the entrance of the hallway. There stood Dawn and Paul's daughter Arisa all dressed down in her nighty. She was rubbing her eyes in a sleepy way and clutching the teddy bear she'd gotten for her birthday. Dawn got off Paul's lap and walked over to her. She soothed the child softly and helped lead her back to bed, a hand on Arisa's shoulder and one on her swollen belly.

In the living room Ash shook his head. "Man, Paul. Dawn looks like she's ready to pop. She going to be okay for the next couple months?"

Paul looked over his shoulder and down the hall. "Yeah, she should be fine. She carried Risa for almost ten months, she was that late. But she came out perfectly fine."

Leaf, May, and Misty tittered softly. They knew what Dawn was going through, they'd all gone through it in the past ten or so years ago. When she came back, she plopped back onto Paul's lap, making her husband grunt slightly. "Oops, sorry dear." She kissed his cheek as penace for accidentally hurting him.

"Yeah, everything's fine. These babies aren't as light as someone who's never been pregnant or cursed with a pregnant wife might think," he grunted.

Everybody in the room stared at him, save Dawn who just blushed furiously.

May was the first to speak. "Paul," she started softly, "did you just say _babies_?"

He wouldn't look at anybody, only running a hnd through his hair as he tried to avoid the subject. "Maybe."

The other three women squealed and almost attacked Dawn while she still sat on Paul. He managed to scamper away in time, the other three guys laughing at him. For the rest of the night, none of them stayed up. Misty left Alexius with Ash as she sat on the couch with her friends, and all they could talk about was Dawn's pregnancy with twins. Well, their secret was out, why not talk about it?

0 0 0 0 0

**A/N**: Well, what'd ya think? :D Something different, eh? This was going to be an entry into a contest, but I felt that I could switch it around at the end to add it to Family Time story. And it worked!

Yes, it starts out Contestshipping alone until the little mention of Ikarishipping at the party, then going all out with my four favorite shippings at the end lol Also, did anyone catch what I did at the party? I entered myself into my own story. How cool is that? ;) But yes, that is probably what would happen if my boyfriend ever caught me dancing with another guy. Not gonna happen xD

Either way, I hoped you liked this Halloween special that I wrote (originally) for a contest lol _Ciao_ for now (^..^)/


	10. Thanksgiving

**A/N**: I just want to put it out there that I was thinking of not writing a Thanksgiving chapter for this story because I have no idea what would be going on since I don't think I've ever seen Thanksgiving in an anime before :/ But I decided last minute that I might as well try. So, if this sucks beyond belief, I apologize xD

* * *

Dawn walked down the aisle of the grocer store, list in one hand, her child the other. They were out shopping for dinner that night for when family and friends would be coming over to celecrate with the roasting of a turkey and a table full of veggies and pies. You guessed right, it was Thanksgiving at the Shinji household.

Almost waddling down the aisle Dawn directed her daughter to what they needed for that night, reaching the higher items on the shelves that Arisa couldn't reach. They gathered the neccesary items for the dinner, managed to make it through the store without Dawn falling over, and finally check out with at least five bags carried in their hands, all filled with food stuff for that evening.

Back at the house, Dawn shuffled around the house as fast she could, cleaning everything she got her hands on. Paul had learned to stay out of her way when she was like this, but Arisa liked to help her mother clean, even if it was like a cleansing whirlwind had swept through every public room in the house. When she did a job, Dawn made sure she did it well and thoroughly. "Almost done," she'd repeat over and over, even though she was only halfway done with the living with the kitchen and the guest bathroom still to go.

"Dawn, maybe you should take a break," Paul suggested when he saw his exhausted wife collapsed on the couch after just managing to clean the kitchen counter. "I don't think it's healthy for a woman carrying twins and close to her due date to be cleaning like a crazy raccoon."

With a roll of her eyes Dawn sat back against the couch cushions, waving her hand as a fan in front of her face. "Posh," she said, mimicking the Old English women she had been reading about in books like _Wuthering Heights_, even a little of a late thirties gothic novel called _Rebecca_. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail, smoothing her bangs across her forehead. She made a move to get up, but Paul stopped her, pushing her gently back onto the couch.

"No you don't." When she tried again he glared at her. She leaned back again with a sheepish look on her face. "You are going to stay here and let me finish with the cooking."

A bewildered look crossed Dawn's face as she stared at her husband. Usually, he only helped her in the kitchen, he never really actually _made_ an entire dinner by himself. But it wasn't that she doubted him, she was just struck beyond comprehension at his words. And his selflessness. "Are you serious?"

Paul grimaced. "Unfortunately. All right, Risa," he said as he took the blanket that was laid across the back of the arm chair and draped it over Dawn, "time to get to work."

Dawn lay on the couch, pretty much helpless since her due date was only about two months away. The young mother sat there huddled under the blanket and watched as her husband and child finished making the rest of dinner, in record time too. They made the stuffing and the pies, the mashed potatoes and the cranberry sauce; everything. Dawn was amazed when they started to lay out the stack of plates and groups of silverware on the table for when the friends and family came. Paul was very practical about it all, making sure to count the number of plates and forks and spoons and knives. All this was done in the time span of maybe a couple hours, the young father bustling through the kitchen like Dawn would have if her standing around too much might cause her to become closer and closer to labor every time. So she just sat there on the couch, her aching feet propped upon the coffee table. The afternoon news played faintly from the television.

By the time people began to arrive, Dawn was back on her feet and helping in the kitchen again. The Hayden family walked in first, Arisa immediately going to greet them and their son Rudy. The boy's hair was getting a little shaggy these days, more so than his father's usually seemed. They were both due for a hair cut according to May.

Slowly, one by one the families began to show up, parents sometimes accompanied by reluctant children. The younger ones were sent to Arisa's room for the time being, the little group consisting of Alexius, Rudy, Reese, even the Gropiuses' little boy Mercer. Older kids like Silver and Lyra's daughter Merill and Ethan and Kris's son Banks stayed in the living room on the couch watching TV while the grown ups mingled, drinking their wine. The women gossiped and the men just sat there listening, all at one time embarrassed for their wives or girlfriends. Never in one room should there be more than three women. Three may have been a crowd to most people, but with how the women in the Shinji's kitchen could gossip, three was _enough_.

"All right, everybody. Time to eat!"

From all over the house people came: the kids from Arisa's room, Merill and Banks from the couch, and any of the adults that had strayed outside as they waited for the best part of dinner: the turkey. Since Dawn had invited so many people they'd had to cook two turkeys that afternoon. While the birds were served, little bits of conversation floated around the kitchen as everyone gathered around the table in the dining room.

The children's table was set up more toward the living room than the dining table, so the little ones were able to watch TV as the grown ups talked and ate. This year was the first year Rudy was able to eat with the adults, and he sat between his parents. Drew mussed his hair a bit, proud at how big his son was getting. May was just as proud, though she showed this by wrapping an arm around her son and pulling him close, showering his cheek with kisses, embarrassing him more than his father. Everyone at the table laughed in good humor for the boy's expense, Merill and Banks moreso because it had been only a couple years for them. Both were fourteen and between their parents on either side of the table. From one end, Dawn watched as everyone had a good time eating and drinking, but dabbing it down on the wine so they could still drive home.

By the time everything was over it was getting dark outside, the clock on the stove reading near eight. They'd all had such a good time that nobody really wanted to leave, but the younger kids were getting tired from playing and all the turkey and cranberry sauce they'd ingested over such a short timespan.

So as separate families began to leave, Arisa glanced around the small crowd that was in both the dining room and living room, her sharp blue eyes searching. When she found who she was looking for she slid through the people to reach them. It was the Gropius boy Mercer. As he and his parents were about to head out the door she grabbed at his hand, tugging him to a stop. He turned to look at her in surprise, startled at how easily she had took hold of his hand.

With a smile Arisa said, "Come back and play soon, 'kay?" The teeth she'd lost months ago had filled in, giving her a slightly crooked smile, but a cute one nonetheless.

This made Mercer look down in embarrassment, his eyes landing on their touching hands. He wiggled his until he could take it back and shove it in his pockets. He glanced up and saw that her smile hadn't wavered, he didn't even know if he'd hurt her feelings. She just held up her small hand, pinkie held out. "Pinkie promise?"

Mercer looked between Arisa and his parents, but all his mother and father did was smile at him. "You can't break a pinkie promise, son," N said.

Mercer looked back at the young Shinji girl with her still outstretched hand and finger. Slowly he lifted his own hand. He looked up at her through his slight bangs, but he just saw her smile as he hooked his pinkie with hers. Smiling slightly he said, "Promise."

Later that night after everyone was gone, Dawn sat in the armchair crocheting with Arisa at her feet, playing with her teddy bear. Little Arisa looked up at her mom as she made a scarves for her and her little siblings that would be on the way soon. She watched every movement of the crocheting hook, the yarn as it wound around itself, making a pattern. "Hey Mommy," she said. "How do you do that?"

Dawn looked down at her daughter as she continued to move the hook carefully between her hands. "I'll show you when you're older. But look at this." She leaned down as much as she could over her swollen belly, moving the hook in almost a dance in front of her daughter's eyes, slowly creating another row along the scarf.

"That's so cool, Mommy," Arisa murmured as she laid her head on Dawn's knee as her mother sat back again. She was slowly becoming sleepy, her own belly full of turkey and cranberry sauce and pies. She snuggled closer to her mother's legs, her hands on either side of the siblings that her mother carried. "Teach me when I'm older okay?" She closed her eyes. "Night, Kairi and Kenji …" she muttered as she fell asleep.

Dawn smiled down at her sleeping daughter. "When you're older," she promised.

* * *

**A/N**: Bloody crocheting! Lol I'm learning how to crochet scarves for Christmas presents this year, and I just had the urge to insert it at the end. It's harder than what someone might think when they're first learning. Well, making the first row is easier, the rest is freakin' crazy. Ugh!

Sorry this chapter kind of sucked, but I never really expexted this one to come out very well. I'm not very good when it comes to holidays like this one :/ I attempted it, at least. I guess that matters ._. Sigh, oh well. Also, I apologize for this being so short.

Either way, there's supposed to be one more chapter (even though Thanksgiving was supposed to be the last one): the birth of the twins. If any of you caught it, when Arisa was drifting off, she said their names ^^

Well, I'm going to try and be at least a little close to Dawn's due date as I can, but who knows? She could be early, late, or on time. It's all up to me lol

_Ciao _;)


End file.
